


The Bumpy Road

by KiyoshiTanaka



Series: Baby Bump [2]
Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: And Scotty has a Master's Degree in Engineering damn it, Fluff, I still have too much fun writing Vulcans, I still regret nothing, Indulgent Sarek, Kid Fic, M/M, Mpreg, Panty Kink, Past Mpreg, Pon Farr, Post-Star Trek: Into Darkness, Switching, Using Logic to Justify Emotions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 19:58:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 31,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5598892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KiyoshiTanaka/pseuds/KiyoshiTanaka
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Astraea Eirene Kirk, daughter of Spock, was born onboard the Enterprise.  Neither Jim nor Spock wishes to give up their career, so they do what they must: with the help of Sarek, they raise their daughter onboard their ship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bumpy Road

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Star Trek. I just like it, perhaps a little too much (if you ask my sister, whose fault it is I got into the fandom at all). I am not making any money off of this.
> 
> Second, this hasn't had much editing. I would have, but I wanted to get it to you guys for New Year's. (Actually, I wanted to get it to you for Christmas, but that didn't happen...) So Happy New Year!
> 
> Third, this story is dedicated to the following people: JanaRumpandRCJawnn, ladygreytea76, Arfang_Red, Nightshade_sydneylover150, TheCreepyNovice, 3rdpiece, madeofmydreams, oolongs, yaoichan12, kitbaker123, and beartold (i.e., all the people who left comments on 'Just a Bump in the Road' before I posted this part of the series).
> 
> Additional thanks to all of you who left kudos. I would like to be able to mention you all by name as well, but there are so many of you wonderful, wonderful people, that I don't have the time (or characters) to do that.
> 
> Lastly, this is really just 30k words of domestic fluff, with a bit of porn, a bit of teenage angst, and a bit of (attempted) humor thrown in.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the second part of 'Baby Bump'!
> 
> KiyoshiTanaka

**_1 Week Old: Visitors_ **

Spock could tell that Jim was exhausted. He did what he could to help his mate. Since Jim required more sleep than Spock, both because he was Human and because he was recovering from pregnancy, Spock did his best to keep Astraea from waking Jim up in the middle of the night. Spock knew Jim hated it, but they pumped his breasts so that Spock could feed her in the night.

Of course, most of the time, Spock couldn’t keep Bump from waking Jim. Before the pregnancy, Jim would sleep deeply, and it often seemed that nothing short of the red alert alarms going off could wake him. Now, the slightest noise from Astraea would rouse Jim to full alertness. Still, with the work Spock put in, Jim was at least getting _some_ sleep.

Taking care of Astraea cut into his meditation time more than anything else, but it was something Spock was willing to sacrifice in order to care for his daughter and his mate.

§§§

Spock’s Human half was pressuring him to laugh. The face Jim was making as he changed Astraea’s diaper was endlessly amusing. Of course, Spock could smell it from the other side of the room, so he didn’t blame Jim for the faces. That didn’t mean he couldn’t derive a small amount of entertainment from the ordeal.

Jim didn’t complain though. Diaper duty seemed to be split evenly between them; Spock dealt with any and all dirty diapers from approximately 2100 to 0900, and Jim handled the rest. It was an efficient system, one Spock knew was going to have to change once they returned to their duties on the ship. Of course, Jim had made it abundantly clear that, Science Officer _and_ First Officer or not, Spock was no longer allowed to work two eight hour shifts every day. Spock wasn’t going to argue anyway, as he desired time with Bump as much as Jim did, but Jim compromised before Spock had the chance.

“Ten hour days,” he told Spock. “You can split them between the lab and the bridge however you want and I’ll figure the schedule out so that it works for you. But ten hour days.”

“That is acceptable,” Spock said.

Jim looked nothing short of astonished that Spock had agreed so quickly.

§§§

They had a lot of visitors the first week. Spock’s father left only at night, and only because Jim complained that ‘one Vulcan staring at him while he slept was more than enough.’ And Spock had ‘called dibs,’ as Jim put it. Spock wasn’t exactly sure how he had called dibs, considering he had never requested that he be allowed to watch Jim sleep, but he suspected it had something to do with the fact that he was the one to impregnate Jim in the first place.

Aside from Sarek, Nyota spent the majority of her off-duty time in their quarters, holding Bump for as long a time as Jim and Spock would let her. Jim usually used the time to ‘get some cuddles in’ with Spock when they didn’t have to worry about Astraea suddenly needing them.

Chekov visited at least once a day as well. He had some good tricks for quieting her down, as well as a few Russian lullabies he taught Spock. Jim tried, but he butchered the Russian nearly as bad as he butchered the singular Vulcan song they’d caught Sarek singing when he thought no one could hear him.

Marcus and McCoy were around often as well, although that was a questionable decision. Spock noticed that when they had one crying baby, it was a very short time before they had three crying babies. He always required meditation once Michael and Sebastian had left.

Sulu and Scott each visited four times over the course of Bump’s first week of life. Sulu expressed a desire to visit more often, but as he and Scott were splitting the duties of acting Captain, he did not have the time. Scott clearly avoided visiting because he was afraid of small children; the one time he came by when Marcus, McCoy and their children were also present, he turned around and left without saying a word.

Chapel and M’Benga flitted in and out as well, ostensibly to make sure Jim and Astraea were both healthy and that they didn’t need anything. Spock would be relieved when all of this was over and they could be alone.

“How many days was it before you stopped having so many visitors?” Spock asked McCoy seven days after Bump was born.

The doctor shrugged. “Aside from Christine, Geoff, and you two, we didn’t have many visitors. It’s just that the crew loves Jim. They want to see his baby. I don’t think her ears are helping things any.”

Spock had noticed that. Everyone seemed enamored by her ears, in spite of the fact that they were no different from Spock’s and Sarek’s, and the only person on board who seemed to have any fascination with Spock’s ears was Jim. “That does not help, Doctor.”

“I’m a doctor, not a security guard,” McCoy griped. “If you don’t want visitors, have security come stand outside your door.”

Spock would have, but Jim seemed to enjoy showing their daughter off, so he held his tongue. He probably wouldn’t have, were it not for the small part of himself that was incredibly pleased at having fathered such a beautiful baby with such a beautiful mate.

**_2 Weeks Old: Gratifying Perfection_ **

Jim was relieved. He had no idea how Bones and Carol were dealing with it; the twins still weren’t sleeping through the night. Bump wasn’t either, but she only woke up about once, needing to be changed and fed, and then she fell right back to sleep.

“It’s unnatural,” Bones declared. “Babies don’t sleep through the night for months.”

“It is perfectly natural,” Sarek replied. “It is rare that Vulcan children don’t have a consistent schedule. Spock himself only woke up three nights before his sleep schedule settled and it was at 1.2 months that he began sleeping through the night without waking at all. That is 1.5 weeks longer than average for Vulcan children, but it was to be expected, since he is part Human. Being three quarters Human, I expected Astraea to take even longer to adjust to a consistent sleeping pattern.” His eyes sparkled proudly. How Vulcans ever tricked anyone into believing they didn’t have emotions, Jim would never know. “It is gratifying that Astraea is developing this quickly.”

“Gratifying,” Bones said, completely deadpan.

“Indeed,” Sarek confirmed.

Jim began laughing, covering his mouth so he wouldn’t wake the baby currently sleeping in Spock’s arms. Bones clearly wasn’t buying Sarek’s act any more than Jim was.

§§§

Jim had a rare moment alone with his daughter. Spock and Sarek had both gone to deal with something on the bridge, some ‘diplomatic emergency.’ Jim suspected Sulu and Uhura had just correctly interpreted the frantic looks he’d been sending them.

He looked at Astraea and she looked back, waving a tiny fist in the air. When he offered her his finger, she grabbed hold of it and gripped it tightly. It wasn’t much tighter than the twins’ grips at her age, so Jim wasn’t sure if she just hadn’t inherited Vulcan strength or if it was something that set in later. He wasn’t sure which he preferred.

He couldn’t get over how perfect she looked. How perfect she _was_. With her pointed ears and green-tinted skin, there was no denying she was part Vulcan. Bones had explained that her blood was exactly like Spock’s, right down to being T-negative. His exact words had been that she was “a green-blooded mini-hobgoblin.” The affection in his voice and fondness in his eyes had kept Jim from taking offense.

But there was also no denying that she was Jim’s daughter. Aside from the fact that what seemed like everyone and their moms had seen him pregnant, she had his hair and her eyes had already begun to change from the soft baby blue she’d been born with to a more vivid blue that matched his own eyes.

Anyone who knew anything about the crew of the _Enterprise_ could take one look at her and know exactly who her parents were. She was all the more perfect because of it.

Bones and Jim had been relieved that, in spite of the green blood, her organs were arranged more like a Human’s. The blood worked like a Vulcan’s but the cardiovascular system itself was Human. Sarek had seemed less than pleased at Bones’ relief, but Spock had placated him quickly; after all, was ‘it not logical to be relieved that her body functions similarly to the bodies with which her doctor is most familiar’?

“You would have been perfect anyway,” Jim whispered to her. “Even if you had been born with purple blood and organs that were in the wrong place for Humans _and_ Vulcans.”

Bump just gurgled and began mouthing in the way that meant she was hungry.

**_3 Weeks Old: Baby on the Bridge_ **

Spock had Bump in a sling across his chest when he and Jim walked onto the bridge. “Captain on the bridge,” Sulu called out, stepping down from the chair.

Jim nodded. He gave Astraea a quick kiss on the forehead before he went to his chair and Spock went to the science station.

It wasn’t long before McCoy appeared on the bridge, Sebastian in a sling very similar to the one Spock currently wore. He glared first at Jim, then at Spock. He made his way over to Spock and said, “You let him return to his duties. He gave birth less than a month ago.”

“Indeed,” Spock said. “He is experiencing no pain—”

“He says,” McCoy interrupted.

Spock ignored him, as he did most of the times McCoy chose to speak. “He is also restless. As I am sure you are aware, Jim is a force to be reckoned with when he is not motivated. I determined that making a deal with him was in everyone’s best interest.”

“Deal?”

“He is going to be working two four hour shifts a day with a break of at least three hours in between for at least another month,” Spock replied.

McCoy clearly still disapproved of Jim already having returned to work, but Spock knew there was no stopping Jim. The fact that he had talked Jim into breaking up his eight hour shift was actually against the odds Spock had calculated.

“And you think having Astraea on the bridge is a good idea?” he asked.

“You have Sebastian on the bridge,” Spock pointed out.

McCoy sputtered for a moment and then said, “But I’m leaving as soon as I’ve finished lecturing you! I’m not going to stay here all day with a newborn!”

“And that is what is appropriate for you, Dr. Marcus, and your children,” Spock replied. “For Jim and myself, keeping Bump on the bridge while we work is the appropriate choice.”

“But—”

“Dr. McCoy,” Spock said, “I will not be taking Bump to the laboratory with me, if that is what is concerning you. She will stay with either Jim or my father while I am conducting my experiments.”

Dr. McCoy ground his teeth together then turned to Jim. “Are you always going to let him fight your battles for you?”

Jim was smiling. “It seems to be working well so far.”

Dr. McCoy left the bridge.

That was when Sulu made a face. “Captain.”

Jim sighed. “Give her here, Spock.”

Spock was fairly certain it was the first time a Captain’s chair had been used as a changing table.

**_1 Month Old: It’s Okay to Say ‘I Love You’_ **

Jim handed Sarek the diaper bag, filled with cloth diapers and a few bottles of formula. He didn’t need to explain any of it; Sarek had been around so much that even if he and Amanda had used disposable diapers for Spock, he knew how to use cloth ones by now. Sarek looked delighted to be getting an entire night alone with his granddaughter—as much as a Vulcan would allow himself to look delighted, at any rate. Jim found that with each passing day, he was getting better at reading the muscle twitches that indicated particular emotions in both Spock and Sarek.

“And you know where to find us,” Jim said.

“I believe I can care for a newborn for a night,” Sarek replied. “I did raise Spock, you know.”

Jim smiled. “And you did a good job. He’s a good man.”

Sarek just looked back at Jim, eventually saying, “My son will be wondering where you and Astraea are. You should return to your quarters.”

Jim nodded, even though he knew Spock wasn’t due back to their cabin for another half hour. The conversation was making Sarek uncomfortable; Jim could respect that.

§§§

Thirty five minutes later, Spock finally walked into their room. He stopped in the doorway. “Jim?” he asked. “Where is Bump?”

“With your dad,” Jim replied.

“For what reason?” Spock asked.

“I think you know.” Jim was laying on their bed, a tube of lubricant by his side, wearing nothing but the black lace panties Spock seemed to favor over all his others. The only way Jim could have gotten more obvious about it was if he had been naked and on all fours.

“Dr. McCoy has not—”

“Spock,” Jim said. “I know my body. I need you to fuck me.” Truthfully, Jim had been ready last week, but he figured he’d give it a full month, just to be safe. He’d barely made it. It had been so long since he had gotten any—not that that was Spock’s fault—and he was really horny.

Spock still looked hesitant, so Jim decided it was time to get naked. He shimmied out of his underwear. Spock’s eyes followed each movement. When Jim used the elastic to fling them at Spock, his lover caught them without even looking away from Jim’s now-erect cock. “Spock,” Jim said. “Are you going to fuck me or not? Because if not, I am going to dig out my dildo and fuck myself with it.” So he actually had no idea where the thing was. Spock didn’t need to know that.

Spock dropped the panties on the ground and began removing his own clothing, carefully folding the garments before placing them in a chair. There was a slight tremble in his hands that gave away how eager Spock was. It made Jim feel better. In spite of the man-boobs and the weight he had gained because of Bump, Spock still desired him. Desired him so much that he had only objected once about Jim not being cleared to have sex.

When Spock finally laid down next to him, all his lover did was kiss him. After a while, he rolled a nipple between his fingers. Jim hissed. That _hurt_. While he was pregnant, they had been hypersensitive, stimulation sometimes being pleasurable, sometimes not. Having had a baby hanging off his chest for the last month had clearly made the pleasure go away.

Spock withdrew his hand. “Are you sure—”

“Trust me, I’m sure,” Jim interrupted. “Just not the nipples, okay?”

Spock still looked uncertain, so Jim guided his hand down between Jim’s legs. Jim had prepared himself in the time between dropping Astraea off with Sarek and Spock returning. Spock’s pupils dilated and his cock gave a hard twitch against Jim’s thigh. “Very well,” Spock said, his voice hoarse.

Spock fingered him open, in spite of the fact that Jim had already done it. He knew it would make Spock feel more confident that Jim was, indeed, ready for sex. The fact that Spock was really, _really_ good at fingering him didn’t hurt. Eventually Jim was forced to squeeze the base of his cock so tightly it almost hurt. “That’s enough,” he told his Vulcan. “Any more and I won’t be able to—”

He get to finish because Spock chose that moment to kiss him. After several long, glorious kisses, Spock pulled away and rolled on top of Jim. Jim felt the head of Spock’s wide cock press at his entrance. Spock opened his mouth, but Jim beat him to it, “So help me, Spock, if you ask whether or not I’m sure, you will be sleeping on the couch.”

Spock’s jaw snapped shut and the pressure at Jim’s entrance increased until the muscles finally gave in and allowed the intrusion. Spock kept pushing in until his testicles were pressed against Jim’s ass. Jim sighed. God, this felt right. Jim wrapped his legs tight around Spock and closed his eyes. All he wanted to do was _feel_. Feel the man who was going to be his husband on top of him and inside of him. The perfection of being as close as two people could get.

Jim was distantly aware that Spock had started to move, smoothly and gently in Jim’s body. The alien ridges of his cock repeatedly dragged against Jim’s prostate and Jim knew he wasn’t going to last. It was all too wonderful after so many weeks not wanting sex at all. He felt a hot hand encircle his cock and it was only three strokes later that he came, semen covering his abdomen and Spock’s hand.

He opened his eyes in time to see Spock lick some of Jim’s come off of his hand and _oh_ , Jim wished he was ready for another round, because that was one of the hottest things he’d ever seen. His perfect, proper Vulcan, licking Jim’s semen off his hand.

Spock paused and murmured, “May I continue?”

Jim wanted to cry at how concerned Spock was for his well-being. “Yes. You know I like being fucked after I come.”

Spock simply nodded and resumed his languid thrusting. Jim reveled in the feel of it; it wasn’t _intense_ , not in the way he was used to at least. It wasn’t rough and fast, it was slow and emotional and Jim doubted he’d ever forget this. He knew the exact moment Spock felt his orgasm coming. There was no change in pace, no indication on his face—which had dropped its mask to reveal his enjoyment almost as soon as his fingers had pressed into Jim—but Jim knew.

And then he felt the heat of Vulcan cum inside him and smiled. “I love you,” he told Spock.

Spock frowned. “I was given to believe that saying ‘I love you’ right before, during, or immediately after intercourse was inappropriate.”

Jim chuckled before wincing as Spock pulled out. Then he said, “It’s inappropriate to say ‘I love you’ for the first time like that. Too many hormones. It doesn’t count. Once you say it outside of sex, you can say it whenever you want.”

“I see. I love you as well,” Spock said. “I wished to tell you several times as we were copulating, but believed it was unacceptable. I will not hold back in the future.”

Jim yawned and murmured, “The word copulating shouldn’t be a turn-on, but it really kind of is.” Then he blinked. “There’s a hypo in the drawer next to you. Could you give it to me?”

When Spock moved to hand it to him, Jim shook his head. “I hate injecting myself.”

He felt the pressure of the injection in his arm and then Spock asked, “What drug did I just administer?”

“Morning after,” Jim replied. “I mean, I’m back on birth control and everything, but we both know how well that worked last time. Better safe than sorry.”

Spock was quiet for a moment and then he said, “It is the timing, correct, not that you do not wish to have more children with me?”

How could Spock possibly be so insecure? Bones had pressured them to have a C-section and Jim had refused, precisely because he wanted to be able to carry another of Spock’s children in the future. “All about the timing, Spock,” he assured his fiancé. “I want to decide on the next one, not have any surprises.” He kissed Spock. “But I definitely want at least one more, eventually.”

Spock nodded. “I do as well.”

“Well, glad that’s settled,” Jim said. “If it’s okay with you, I’m going to sleep now.”

Spock nodded and pressed a kiss to Jim’s forehead before pulling Jim tight to his chest. This had been a really fucking brilliant idea.

**_3 Months Old: It’s a Spock Thing_ **

It had been three months since Astraea was born, and Spock and Jim had finally managed to settle into a schedule with her. Once a week or so, Sarek would take her for a few hours or the entire night so that Spock could have some time alone with Jim. Sometimes they had sex, sometimes they didn’t. But the privacy was a relief either way. Spock missed her those brief hours she was away, but in the long run, he felt he was better able to care for her because of it.

Most days she came to the bridge with either him or Jim, occasionally she would stay with either his father or Chekov, when Chekov’s shift didn’t line up with his or Jim’s.

Bump, Michael, and Sebastian had all become spoiled very quickly, as much as Doctors McCoy and Marcus had fought against it. Jim had been a rather large factor in spoiling Astraea, and Spock couldn’t say he objected to the treatment of his daughter. Of course, in spite of the fact that he would never admit it, Sarek was the one who spoiled her the most. Spock and Jim had discussed it and decided it was best not to mention it. What went unsaid was that Jim wasn’t mentioning Spock’s own emotional reactions around their daughter.

How did Vulcans convince anyone that they were emotionless robots, when one tiny baby turned a Vulcan like Sarek into a simpering grandfather?

* * *

They were eating in the rec room, when Jim groaned. “Spock. Your daughter has ruined me for meat.”

“Pardon?” Spock asked.

“Meat, Spock,” Jim said. “Do you know how long it’s been since I had a hamburger?”

“I do not,” Spock replied. “What is stopping you from eating one now? It is unsurprising you could not handle red meats while you were pregnant, but you have not been pregnant for three and a half months now. You should be able to eat meat again.”

“Yeah, well, I can’t,” Jim said. “I want to, but every time I try, the taste makes me want to gag. I tried to eat some bacon at breakfast yesterday—I couldn’t eat _anything_ , the smell of it made me so nauseous.”

Spock raised an eyebrow. “Fascinating.”

Jim rolled his eyes.

Against Spock’s chest, Bump was waving her tiny fists and babbling. “Sa-sa-sa,” she said. “Fa-pa-fa.”

Predictably, Jim was distracted from their conversation. He began talking to Bump instead. “You don’t want meat, I understand that, but why can’t I have any? You’re definitely your father’s daughter, Miss Bump.”

Spock was still bewildered by this Human tendency to speak to babies as though they actually understood everything that was being said. It wasn’t just a Jim thing—and there were a lot of Jim things, idiosyncrasies that Spock found attractive, if more than a little illogical—since McCoy, Dr. Marcus, Chekov, Sulu, and even Nyota did the same thing.

Of course, his own father talked to her that way as well, so perhaps _not_ speaking to infants was actually a Spock thing.

“Kee-kee,” Astraea said, her fist smacking into Spock’s chin. “Sa.”

“I agree,” Jim said, nodding his head.

Illogical.

**_6 Months Old: Kal’i’farr_ **

“You can do it,” Jim told Bump. “I know you can. You’re a smart, strong girl.”

With a little grunt, Bump managed to roll herself over onto her belly. Jim clapped and Bump laughed at Jim’s delight. Jim knew Spock was watching them, but the Vulcan remained as stoic as ever. Bump easily rolled over onto her back and began trying to roll onto her tummy again. Jim was delighted. Ever since she’d rolled from her tummy to her back a month ago, he’d been waiting for her to be able to roll all the way over.

He looked at Spock. “Aren’t you proud of her?”

“It is illogical to feel pride in someone else’s accomplishments,” Spock replied. “Particularly since rolling onto her stomach is a simple progression from rolling onto her back. It is gratifying that she is progressing and meeting each developmental milestone without problems.” As Spock spoke, his eyes glittered with what Jim knew was pride, no matter how illogical.

“Uh-huh.” It had become something of a joke between them, Spock either denying his emotions outright or using logic to justify them. Jim wasn’t even sure when it had started, but thinking about it, it might have been building since before they got together.

§§§

They stood before Admiral Castell, who had insisted on being present. As a result, she was the highest ranking officer onboard, meaning she was the officiator for any marriages that happened. Jim couldn’t say he minded; after himself and Spock, Scotty was the highest ranking officer, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about having the man officiate his wedding.

“Please clasp arms,” Castell said.

Jim reached forward with his right hand, gripping Spock’s forearm, his lover doing the exact same thing. The grip of Spock’s hand on his arm was comforting and familiar. Jim was going to have this for the rest of his life.

“Do you, James Kirk, take Spock as your husband, to stand by him in the face of all joys and all adversities, to care for him to the best of your abilities in both sickness and health, and to love him throughout your lives?” Castell asked.

“I do,” Jim confirmed.

“Please take this ribbon.”

Jim grasped the ribbon, pressing it against Spock’s arm. Castell began winding it around their hands, binding them together as she asked, “Do you, Spock, son of Sarek, take James as your husband, to stand by him in the face of all joys and all adversities, to care for him to the best of your abilities in both sickness and health, and to love him throughout your lives?”

“I do,” Spock answered, his voice sure.

“Please take this ribbon.”

Spock allowed her to tuck the ribbon into his hand, to bind them together. Castell then sprayed the ribbon with a solution that would harden it, and then he and Spock maneuvered their hands out of it, the ribbon holding the shape of their bound hands, as a reminder of their vows.

“The rings?” Castell asked.

Bones stepped forward and handed Jim a simple, silver ring. “Now place this ring on Spock’s finger and repeat after me,” Castell directed Jim. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

Jim took Spock’s hand and slipped the ring on the fourth finger of his left hand. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

Uhura stepped up and placed a matching band in Spock’s hand. Without prompting from the Admiral, he took Jim’s left hand, slipped the ring onto his finger, murmuring, “With this ring, I thee wed.”

Castell looked between Jim and Spock and then said, “By the power vested in my by the United Federation of Planets, I pronounce you married, bonded in the eyes of all Federation planets. You may kiss.”

Spock leaned forward and gently pressed his lips against Jim’s. It was brief and sweet, and then they pulled apart. “My husband,” Jim murmured.

“ _Sa-telsu t’nash-veh_ ,” Spock answered, dragging the tips of his fingers across the back of Jim’s.

The moment was made perfect when Astraea began babbling in Sarek’s arms, reminding them of the third member of their little family, and the person who bound them together more completely than any words ever could.

§§§

That night, Jim asked Spock, “You told me you’d only had sex with two people. Was one of them me, or did you mean you’d had sex with two people _other than_ me?”

“I have had intercourse with yourself and Nyota,” Spock answered. “Although I have engaged in intercourse with you far more frequently than I ever did with her.”

Jim looked at him and said, “Do you want to try something new?”

Spock looked at him. “You wish to penetrate me tonight?”

Jim blinked. “Yes,” he said slowly, “If you want.”

“I would like that,” Spock answered. “I was simply under the impression that you preferred the other position.”

Jim shrugged. “I like both. Definitely prefer bottom when I’m with another guy, and it was about all I could even do while I was pregnant, but I like both.” He kissed Spock. “But that wasn’t the only thing I meant when I said we should try something new.”

“What else did you mean?”

“We’ve melded a couple times before,” Jim said, “Do you think we could?”

Spock didn’t answer for several seconds; his eyes were glazed and his hands were gripping Jim’s arms tightly. Then he blinked. “Right. Yes. That would be—that would be—yes.”

Even in the middle of sex, Jim had never been able to make Spock speechless like this.

They undressed each other slowly and then Jim carefully prepared Spock. He spent more time on Spock than they ever spent on him; it was Spock’s first time bottoming and Jim wanted to make it perfect. Eventually he slicked his cock and lined himself up with Spock’s entrance. Spock’s beautiful brown eyes closed as Jim pushed in.

When he was finally inside, he whispered, “Open your eyes.”

Spock did, his hand reaching up to Jim’s face. Jim felt Spock’s mind enter his own and it was intense; he was in Spock’s body, but Spock was in his mind. As he began thrusting, he could feel Spock around him, but he could feel echoes of himself in Spock. The dual sensations brought about by the meld pushed him over the edge sooner than he would have liked.

His orgasm was intense, so intense that it made Spock come untouched, their climaxes unintentionally breaking the meld.

After several long seconds, Jim managed to pull out. “God,” Jim said, his voice scratchy, “Why the fuck haven’t we done that _before_?”

They both must have been shouting or screaming without realizing it, because Spock’s voice was just as hoarse as Jim’s when he answered. “I do not know.”

§§§

Jim was enjoying married life. Truth be told, it wasn’t really different from unmarried life, except for the fact that Spock was now officially sharing his and Astraea’s quarters.

What Jim was _not_ enjoying was the fact that Bump was teething. He felt bad for his baby girl, since it was obviously hurting, but there was nothing he could do, aside from try and quiet her when she began crying.

Spock was also extremely attentive. Like _hell_ Jim was the one responsible for spoiling her.

**_9 Months Old: Sa’mkh’al_ **

In the last months it had become impractical to bring Bump to the bridge with them, no matter how much Jim proclaimed they should. Privately, Spock desired it as well; he never voiced it, but he was sure Jim knew anyway.

“The playpen will not fit anywhere on the bridge, save between the navigating console and the viewscreen,” Spock said when Jim brought up the topic for what Spock knew to be the thirteenth time. “That is one of the most dangerous places for a person to be in the event of a sudden attack or other problem with the engines. She is also too big to carry around and desires to be moving more than a carrier or swing would allow.”

Jim pouted and looked at their daughter, who was crawling across the floor with surprising speed. “I still think—”

“Jim,” Spock interrupted. “As much as we would both like to have her close, it is far safer for her to be with my father or Chekov when we are both on the bridge.”

Jim scowled but walked over and picked Astraea up before she could start grabbing at something she had just found on the floor; one of Jim’s socks, it seemed. “You’ll be okay with Grandpa Sarek?” he asked. When she babbled back at him, Jim said, “Say ‘Yes, Dada,’ and I’ll let you stay with him every day.”

Bump didn’t repeat Jim’s words, but Jim relented anyway, as he had every single time they’d had this discussion. “I’m just afraid her first word is going to be in Vulcan,” Jim complained. “And I’m afraid I’m going to miss it.”

Spock was uncertain whether or not Jim needed to be worrying about that just yet. Vulcan and Human developmental milestones were different, and it was still unclear which timeline she seemed to be following. Spock himself had said his first word—“Mommy”—at eight months, two weeks, and three days. Human babies, however, often didn’t speak until near or even after their first birthday.

“You are attempting to learn Vulcan,” Spock said, rather than addressing the issue of Jim missing Astraea’s first word. “Her first word being in Vulcan would not be problematic. It would be a good thing. Raising a child in a bilingual household is extremely beneficial for their language skills. If her first word is in the language she hears less often, it would be an indicator that she is learning both languages at a satisfactory rate.”

Jim rolled his eyes and then looked at Bump. “Satisfactory, he says. You’re more than satisfactory, I think,” he told their child. “And it’s okay if your first word is in Vulcan. I’ll love you no matter what language you speak. I’d love you if Auntie Nyota is secretly teaching you Klingon and your first word is a Klingon swear word.”

He got a babble of agreement in response. Spock just turned to meditate. As much as he loved Jim, his husband’s illogic still baffled him.

§§§

Two weeks later, when they were dropping Bump off with Sarek, she saw him and her face brightened. She reached toward him, calling out, “ _Sa’mkh’al, Sa’mkh’al_!”

Jim looked down at their daughter, then glanced at Sarek, then turned to Spock. “Please don’t tell me she just said what I think she said. Please don’t.”

Spock looked at his father. Sarek almost looked smug, so there was no denying that they had all heard the same thing. “I believe she just said _sa’mekh’al_ , although her pronunciation was slightly off, likely due to her age,” Spock replied.

“No,” Jim complained. “That’s not fair! We’re her dads. I gave _birth_ to her. Doesn’t she know her first word is supposed to be ‘dada’ or ‘daddy’ or ‘ _sa-mekh_ ’? Did it really have to be _grandpa_?”

Spock did not answer. The illogical irritation he too was feeling would not help Jim at all. Thankfully, Sarek chose not to comment, although he was looking as pleased with himself as Spock had ever seen him.

Jim took Astraea to the bridge that day.

**_1 Year Old: Let Them Eat Cake_ **

Jim sat a cupcake down in front of his daughter. It was blue and decorated with minute, five-pointed stars. Jim stuck a candle in it and lit it, making sure it was out of reach, at least for the moment.

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday Astraea, happy birthday to you!” everyone sang.

Jim blew out the candle, took it out, and moved the cupcake to where Bump could reach it in her highchair. Giving her cake was probably a bad idea; the blue frosting was bound to end up in her hair, but Jim didn’t care. He’d never had this growing up, his mother too preoccupied with the fact that it was the anniversary of his father’s death to be able to truly celebrate the fact that her son was born that day as well.

Once Bump had happily begun smashing the cupcake with her little hands, Jim turned and began cutting the big cake that was there for everyone else. It was decorated the same as the cupcake, except it had _Gad t’keshtan wuh-rak t’Astraea_ written on it. Sarek had insisted that, if they were going to do something as illogical as a birthday party for a one-year old, which she in all likelihood wouldn’t remember, the cake decoration should be written in Vulcan. Jim couldn’t understand in what way that _wasn’t_ illogical.

Everyone enjoyed the cake and laughed as Michael and Sebastian added to the mess Bump was already making. “Hey, Spock,” Jim asked.

“Yes, _sa-telsu_?”

A shiver ran up Jim’s spine. Six months and he _still_ couldn’t get over the fact that he and Spock were married. He hadn’t thought he would get married ever, let alone _use_ his fake uterus. It was surreal.

“Jim?” Spock said, stepping closer. “Was there something you wished to ask?”

“Oh, right,” Jim said. “What’s the record for number of toddlers on a starship at one time?”

Spock looked a bit disgruntled at the question. “Four,” he replied. Jim almost laughed. He had known Spock was competitive, but still. He hadn’t realized that he was as bad as Jim himself.

“Number of children in general?”

“Please define children,” Spock answered.

“Too young to drink,” Jim answered. He glanced at Chekov. “Unless they were prodigies like someone else we know, who graduated from the Academy before they turned eighteen.”

“Eight,” Spock replied. “The highest number of children below the age of thirteen Standard years was five.”

Jim glanced around at his crew. “Y’all need to get to work.”

Everyone laughed and Spock gave him the ‘I disapprove of everything you just said’ eyebrow. “This is not a passenger vessel,” he told Jim. “Family quarters exist for the rare exceptions of Starfleet crewmembers with families.”

Jim rolled his eyes and rubbed two fingers against Spock’s. It was pretty much guaranteed to distract him from whatever he was saying or doing at any given time. It worked.

Then they heard, “Astraea!”

They turned to see that Chekov had cake in his hair. When Sulu laughed, Chekov promptly took his own cake and smashed it in his boyfriend’s face. “How do you like it then?” he asked.

In the end, they all ended up throwing cake like they were the one-year-olds. Even Spock and Sarek didn’t escape without a bit of frosting on their clothes.

Jim was so glad everything that happened in the rec rooms was automatically recorded.

§§§

“Jim,” Spock said. “I suggest you come look at this.”

Jim glanced up from his PADD. Then he promptly scrambled off the bed and knelt on the floor. “Daddy,” Astraea said as she took another wobbly step toward him. “Daddy!”

Jim reached out his hands, patiently waiting for her to get to him. It took several minutes, but she made it, only falling down once, after which she promptly got back to her feet. When she got to him, Jim swept her up in his arms. “I’m so proud of you, Bump!” he said, tickling her until she screamed.

“Daddy! No!”

Jim laughed and set her back on the ground. She turned and began walking back to Spock, calling out, “ _Sa-mekh_!” just as she had called out “Daddy!” when she was toddling toward Jim.

Jim felt like crying. His baby was growing up. It seemed like just yesterday he was panicking over four positive pregnancy tests and conspiring with Carol to get Bones to run some for them. And now his little parasite was walking around on her own. How long would it be before she was going to school? Getting chased by boys? Joining Starfleet or the VSA or whatever she wanted to do with her life? Having kids of her own?

“Jim?” Spock said. “What is wrong?”

Jim began babbling about everything he was thinking. Spock quickly cut him off. “She has only starting walking, Jim,” Spock said. “I think you are getting a bit ahead of yourself when you mention having grandchildren.”

Jim took a breath. “Right. Right. Of course. Calm down. It’ll be a long time before grandkids—oh god, Spock, come meld with me, I need to meditate.”

Spock Vulcan-sighed and placed Bump in her playpen before walking over to Jim and pressing his fingertips to Jim’s meld points. Quickly a sense of calm rushed through Jim, which he was able to maintain even after Spock withdrew.

**_1.5 Years Old: Potty Training Training_ **

“Are you sure it’s not too early?” Jim asked. “I mean, she’s only eighteen months old.”

Spock looked at his husband. “Jim. It is far better to move at the child’s pace, at least when they are this young. If Astraea believes she is ready to use the toilet, then I believe she is ready.”

“I would love to stop changing diapers,” Jim acknowledged. “But what if she _isn’t_?”

Spock wondered if he would ever get used to this Human tendency to speculate. He was trying to teach Bump not to worry about the future, but it was most likely a futile effort. “If she is not, it will become apparent,” Spock replied. “No harm will have been done by trying. But if we do not let her try, it could cause problems in the future.”

Jim nodded. Then he asked, “How do you potty train a girl?”

§§§

“No,” Nyota said. “Absolutely not.”

“But—” Jim tried.

Nyota cut him off. “What part of _I never want children_ don’t you understand? I love Bump, and Michael, and Sebastian, but I don’t want any of my own. I don’t want to have to deal with this kind of thing, especially not at the expense of slowing down my career.”

“But—”

“Ask Chekov.”

“He’s not a girl, though!” Jim said.

“You think that just because I’m a _girl_ I know how to potty train a kid?” Nyota asked, loudly enough that several other people looked toward their table.

“Your sex is only relevant in that Astraea is also female,” Spock intervened, before Jim and Nyota could get into a shouting match. “Jim and I would have no problems whatsoever, had Astraea been male.”

“Oh.” Nyota seemed to determine that that was an acceptable reason for coming to her. “Okay then. I mean, I still can’t help you, but I won’t be mad at you for coming to me. I still think you should ask Chekov. I think he knows more about kids than anyone on the ship.”

Jim nodded. “We will.”

§§§

“Ah, here it is,” Chekov said, pulling a box out of the giant pile in the storage compartment. “And this! And these! Let’s go.”

The young man led them back to their own quarters. Once there, he grabbed Jim’s arm and pulled him into the bathroom. Spock followed. Chekov was already opening one of the boxes. “It is an adaptor, see?” He quickly fixed the object onto their toilet. “It will let her use the potty without fear of falling in.” He set a stepstool in front of the toilet. “And that’s so she can get up and down without help.” He gestured to the box still in Jim’s hands. “And pull-ups. They function as diapers, in that they are absorbent, but they allow for removal in the same way as underwear, so Bump will be able to pull them down on her own.”

Jim was nodding along, paying rapt attention to Chekov’s lesson. “Okay,” Jim said, “That makes it physically possible for her to use the potty without hurting herself. How do we teach her what to do?”

“Show her,” Chekov said. “Every day at the same time, pull her pants down and place her on the seat. Also incorporate showing her how to use it.”

Jim stared. “You mean… let her watch us?”

“Exactly,” Chekov said.

“We don’t have the same parts!”

“I think what Mr. Chekov is saying is that we will need to sit down to urinate,” Spock interjected. What had they gotten themselves into, thinking they could raise a child?

“Exactly,” Chekov said. “Just give her encouragement when she does well, tell her it’s okay if she has accidents, and dress her in clothes she can easily pull down herself. Another trick is when she poops in her diaper, empty the diaper into the toilet and allow her to flush it. Mr. Ambassador is also here, and he may be able to help if potty training is different for Vulcans.”

“As far as I am aware, it is not,” Spock said, “Aside from the fact that Vulcan children potty train at a younger age than most Human children.”

Chekov nodded. “Good. If you need anything else, I am happy to help.”

“Thanks,” Jim said. Then he took a deep breath and looked at Spock. “You ready?”

“I am not,” Spock replied. “However, it seems we do not have a choice in this matter.”

§§§

“Do you want to use the potty?” Jim asked Astraea.

She nodded.

“Do you know how?” Jim asked.

Bump looked down at her feet and played with her shirt. Finally she shook her head.

“That is not a problem,” Spock assured her. “Daddy can show you how.”

Spock received a brief glare from Jim. Spock just picked Astraea up and shielded her eyes until Jim was sitting on the toilet. “See?” Jim said. “Now I go potty.”

Spock was hard-pressed not to roll his eyes when Jim actually _did_ urinate. The man had no shame. Spock suspected that was part of the reason he loved him. Spock covered her eyes until Jim’s panties were up. Then he let her see Jim pull his pants up. “See?” Jim asked her. “All done. Do you want to try?”

Astraea nodded. Jim fixed the seat onto the toilet as Spock pulled her pants and training pants down around her ankles. Then he set her on the ‘potty.’ She sat there in silence for a moment, then laughed and clapped her hands, although she had not actually gone to the bathroom.

§§§

An hour after the first session with the potty, Bump had a dirty diaper. Spock was struck with the sudden understanding of just how _long_ this process would likely be.

Looking at his daughter and his husband, both laughing as Jim tickled her halfway through her diaper change, Spock knew it didn’t matter. He would love them both even if it was ten years before she learned how to use the potty properly. He loved them both unconditionally.

**_2 Years Old: Snoring and Bonding_ **

“No nap!” Bump said. “No nap no nap no nap!”

Jim took a deep, cleansing breath. If he had known how difficult raising a child would be… he still would have kept her. “Astraea, sit down,” he ordered. “I need to braid your hair.”

“No nap!”

Jim finally got her positioned in front of him so he could braid her hair. Looking at her, she couldn’t be more perfect. In the nearly two and a half years since she was born, her hair had darkened until it was almost the exact same color as Jim’s, and her eyes had stayed the same blue as his own. But with her Vulcan ears and greenish complexion, she was also quite clearly Spock’s. No one had ever made a mistake regarding who her parents were, although the assumption that surrogacy was the method used led to the assumption that Bump was _planned_.

Once her hair was braided, Jim picked her up and asked, “Do you need to potty?”

She nodded. Jim doubted the truth in the statement—she’d certainly inherited the Human ability to _lie_ , that much was clear already—and thought she was just trying to delay naptime.

Five minutes on the toilet without any results proved him right. He waited patiently until she finally gave up and got down. She washed her hands and he picked her up again, carrying her to her room and her crib. She began crying. “I don’t want _yuk-tor_!”

Jim set her down in her crib and told her, “If you don’t want to sleep, you don’t have to. But I’m going to go to sleep in my bedroom, so you do need to lay here quietly, okay?”

Bump sniffled and then nodded. “Good girl,” Jim said, before ordering the lights to thirty percent and ordering on the baby monitor.

The receiver in Jim’s room was emitting little snores by the time he got there. “I still can’t believe Spock really doesn’t know she gets it from him,” Jim muttered to himself, before collapsing on his bed and falling asleep just as quickly as his daughter.

§§§

“Why aren’t you in my head, Daddy?”

Jim looked at Astraea. “What do you mean, Bump?”

“ _Sa-mekh_ and _Sa’mekh’al_ are in my head,” Bump answered. “I feels them. Why not you?”

Jim fought back the tears. He knelt down on the ground to be closer to his daughter’s level. “You know how you and _Sa-mekh_ and _Sa’mekh’al_ all have pointy ears?”

“Cause we’re Vulcans,” she answered.

“Right. Well, being able to feel them in your mind is a Vulcan thing too. I’m not a Vulcan, so I can’t do it,” Jim explained.

“Oh,” Astraea said, looking upset.

Jim nodded and said, “Why don’t you go play with your blocks?”

Better that than having her see him break down. That connection with Astraea was something he would never have with her. The closest he would ever get was that _he_ was the one who had carried her, _he_ was the one who had felt her kick for the very first time, _he_ was the one who had given birth to her. It was the one thing he had begged Spock not to touch when they melded. Spock had acquiesced, seeming to understand without being told why it was so important to Jim.

§§§

That night, Spock carried Astraea into their room. “Jim,” Spock said. “If you would lie down on the bed and close your eyes, Bump and I would like to try something.”

Jim wasn’t sure how it had happened, that he trusted someone so much that he did as Spock asked without question. Then again, Spock _had_ tied him up and blindfolded him the last time Bump went to Sarek’s suite, so maybe the trust wasn’t so surprising…

“Like this,” he heard Spock say, and then he felt several small, sticky fingers at his temple. His eyes snapped open in time to see Spock place his own fingertips on their daughter’s face. Spock looked at him. “A guided meld,” he provided. “Such a thing does not usually happen until a Vulcan child is at least four, but Astraea was adamant. I am confident that my telepathic capabilities are enough that I can guide her. It will be easier if you close your eyes and relax. The less sensory input you have, the easier it will be for her to enter your mind.”

Jim closed his eyes obediently. They hadn’t been sure Bump would have strong enough telepathy to do a meld. She certainly wasn’t affected by casual touches in the way Spock and Sarek were; she was as tactile an individual as Jim and didn’t seem to feel anyone else’s emotions because of it. Jim was relieved; he knew how difficult that particular biological aspect was on Spock.

Almost as soon as he closed his eyes, he felt a presence touch his mind. It was hard not to wince. Astraea’s thoughts were whirling around in his mind so _fast_.

_Daddy Daddy Daddy Sa-mekh help me Daddy I want Daddy in my head too_

And then there was a… _pressure_ , for lack of a better word, in the deepest, most secret part of his mind. It was a part that Jim knew was somehow vital to his well-being but that even Spock hadn’t delved into. Only Jim’s knowledge that Spock was guiding Bump to this particular place for some reason kept Jim from panicking. There was also the fact that he knew instinctively that what was about to happen would only enhance his life.

And then his daughter’s chaotic thoughts withdrew. Except _she was still there_.

He opened his eyes and stared at them. Astraea clapped. “Daddy, you’re in my _patam_!”

“You’re in mine,” he whispered, meeting Spock’s eyes. “Oh my god, you bonded to me, my baby girl, you bonded our minds.” He gave her small kisses all over her face. It soon devolved into tickling and laughter.

§§§

After they had tucked Bump into bed, Jim asked, “Why didn’t you tell me we could form a bond?”

“I was uncertain her telepathic abilities were strong enough and I did not wish to get your hopes up,” Spock replied. “As far as Vulcans go, her telepathic abilities are weak, although that is to be expected, given her mostly-Human heritage. As it is, your bond with her _is_ relatively weak. I am able to speak with her silently, although her weakened abilities make it easy to block her constant mental chatter. The most you will ever feel from her is her emotional state, although your lack of telepathic abilities means you will be unable to block it.”

Jim swallowed. It was more than he’d ever dared to hope for. “If she’s strong enough to bond with me, why haven’t you?”

Spock regarded Jim for a long time before saying, “Biological, familial bonds are the easiest type to form. They form automatically between a Vulcan mother and her child, and with no conscious effort during the first fetal meld between the child and any adult family member. This is how the my father and I bonded with her. However, bonding is much like learning a language; the younger an individual is, the easier it is. This is one of the reasons Vulcans bond to our betrothed at such a young age. The other is to allow the bond to settle. Once we are adults, forming a bond as strong as the one between spouses is difficult. To form a bond with someone not a telepath even more so. It can also be dangerous, outside of—”

Spock stopped mid-sentence, something he _never_ did. “Outside of what, Spock?” Jim prompted.

After a short time, Spock said, “There is a time for Vulcans… we do not speak of it, particularly to outworlders. It is a shameful time. Our biology strips us of our logic. We are forced to mate. If we do not, the blood fever kills us.” Spock’s sentences were short and forced. Jim didn’t speak, knowing that if he did, he might never get the rest of the explanation. “We call this time _Pon Farr_. When mating with a non-telepath, it is the best time to form a bond. I had hoped to be spared this, as I am only half-Vulcan, but I asked my counterpart. It is not to be. He would not tell me the precise time, but I do eventually experience it.”

Jim stared. After a moment, Spock continued, “It is difficult to speak of, so I should say it now, while I am ‘on a roll,’ I believe you would say. When a Vulcan male is experiencing the Time, his sperm count increases dramatically and the temperature of the blood spikes high enough to degrade the male birth control in the Vulcan’s system. It is quite likely that, when my Time comes, you will fall pregnant again. If you do not, it is likely that your uterus is incapable of carrying more than one child.”

Jim stared. “Any idea when this could happen?”

Spock shook his head. “No. The first Time can happen as young as seventeen or as late as forty. There are also various environmental factors that are known to trigger it.”

Jim bit his lip and then asked, “When you say Vulcans… do you mean Vulcan _males_ or _all_ Vulcans?”

“There is only a 12.5 percent chance Astraea will ever suffer from it,” Spock answered. “Only approximately half of Vulcan females experience it and she is only a quarter Vulcan. In addition, it has been theorized that if an individual is not entirely Vulcan, the Time might not be fatal, even if unattended. It is logical that this theory has never been tested. There have only been a very few half-Vulcans, and it would not be in an individual’s best interest to attempt _Pon Farr_ without aid. Not to mention it being extremely unpleasant, even if they were to survive.”

“So even if she has to go through it, it probably won’t kill her?”

Spock nodded. “Correct. Although I would not wish to take that risk with her.”

Jim took a deep breath and nodded. “Have you told me everything?”

Spock paused and said slowly, “The Time will last between twenty four and seventy two hours, during which I will feel the need to engage in intercourse with you on an almost constant basis. There will be time for brief meals, trips to the bathroom, and naps.”

Jim nodded and kissed Spock’s cheek. “Okay. I can tell this conversation has been hard for you, so we won’t mention it again until we have to.”

Spock nodded. Then Jim rolled over and nestled himself back against his husband, happy in his usual position as the little spoon. The conversation had clearly exhausted Spock, because it was less than two minutes before the Vulcan’s snores joined the quieter ones coming from the baby monitor.

**_3 Years Old: Set to Kill_ **

The entire crew cheered when the _Enterprise_ finally docked. It had been a long five years. Spock himself was looking forward to setting foot back on the planet. It was his home. Most Vulcans felt adrift, even on New Vulcan; Spock’s time at Starfleet Academy and the fact that he was half-Terran allowed him a connection to the planet other Vulcans lacked.

Spock and Jim left Bump with Spock’s father while they went to meet with the Admiralty.

“We have encountered a problem,” Castell informed them.

“And that is?” Spock asked.

“The Admiralty has reviewed your work, Commander, and we believe you are a quality candidate for a Captaincy. However, this conflicts with your relationship with Captain Kirk,” Castell said. “Having two Captains onboard a Starship would be impractical.”

“I have no desire to be a Captain, Admiral,” Spock replied honestly. “I joined Starfleet with the goal of becoming Chief Science Officer onboard a Starship. Being the First Officer of Starfleet’s flagship is more than I aspired to. A Captaincy would only distract me from my true goal, as well as breaking apart my family.”

Castell nodded. “Understood. We won’t put in the paperwork then, so your career won’t suffer from turning down a promotion.”

“Thank you, Admiral,” Spock said.

Castell smiled. “Say hi to Bump for me.”

“We will,” Jim assured her.

§§§

“You should call your mother,” Spock suggested.

Jim looked at him. “Spock…”

Spock looked at him. “I know you do not get along with your mother. The fact remains that she is one of Astraea’s two surviving grandparents. Does she even know Bump exists?”

Jim grimaced then admitted, “No. Last time I talked to her, I was telling her I was leaving on the five year mission. She was drunk enough that I don’t know if she actually remembered it the next morning.” He sighed. “I should probably visit her anyway. Okay, I’ll call her and see if there’s a day next week we can drop by.”

“Very well,” Spock said. “I shall inform my father that we will be taking Bump to meet your mother at some point in the upcoming week.”

“Sounds good.”

§§§

Sarek had insisted on accompanying them. He insisted it was logical to meet the woman responsible for ‘such an outstanding young man as Captain Kirk.’ Spock knew better. His father simply didn’t want to be away from his granddaughter for the three days they planned to spend with Jim’s mother.

When they arrived at the small house, Spock nodded respectfully to Winona Kirk. She ignored him entirely in favor of throwing her arms around Jim. “Oh, Jimmy!” she said. “I was afraid you weren’t going to come back!”

“Mom,” Jim said, “Why would you be afraid of that?”

“Because I didn’t hear from you!” she said. Her eyes narrowed. “Five years, James Tiberius Kirk! Five years, and not a peep! Do you know how _worried_ I’ve been?”

Jim stared at his mother. Eventually he asked, “Mom, are you _sober_?”

Winona looked at him for a long moment and then said, “Yes. And I do mean in the I-entered-the-program sort of way. Got sober not long after you left. It took really losing you to space to make me realize what a sh—bad mother I’d been.”

Jim threw his arms around his mother and hugged her tight. “I’m so proud of you.”

After a long hug, Jim stepped back. Winona finally took notice of Bump, Spock, and Sarek. “Who are these gentlemen?” she asked. She looked at Astraea. Then she looked between Jim and Spock. “Jim, what the hell is going on?”

“Please do not swear in front of our daughter,” Spock said.

“Right. Jim, what the heck is going on?” Winona repeated, as though it made a difference now that she’d already said the word.

“When I ran away from home, I needed money,” Jim answered. “Long story short, an experimental medical study let me get pregnant. Spock’s my husband and Sarek is my father-in-law. And as you’ve already figured out, Astraea is our daughter.”

“Let me get this straight. You got _married_ and had a _baby_ and didn’t think to inform your _mother_?”

Jim looked ashamed. “I thought about it. But I thought you were so deep in the bottle…”

The look of shame on Winona’s face was so similar to Jim’s that Spock wondered at the fact that everyone insisted Jim looked just like his father; his expressions were clearly his mother and nothing else. “I understand.” She looked at where Bump sat in Sarek’s arms. “You said her name is Astraea?”

“Astraea Eirene Kirk, daughter of Spock,” Jim said confidently. He gave their daughter a fond look and said, “But we call her Bump.”

“Can I hold her?”

“Of course,” Jim replied.

She stepped forward and Spock watched his father hand Astraea over to her grandmother. In all his life, Spock had never seen his father look so upset about anything. Perhaps he wasn’t here because he couldn’t bear to be away from her; perhaps he was here to make sure her other surviving grandparent didn’t replace him in Bump’s affections.

“You’re my _ko-mekh-il_?” Bump asked.

Winona glanced at Spock. “Her what?”

“Her grandmother,” Spock clarified. “As she is a quarter Vulcan, we are raising her bilingually.”

“Does she do that often?” Jim’s mother asked. “Say a sentence half in English, half in Vulcan?”

“She does frequently mix the two languages,” Sarek acknowledged.

“Except around Scotty,” Jim laughed. He looked at his mother. “Our Chief Engineer, Montgomery Scott, she won’t speak anything but Vulcan around him. It’s a game to her. Drives him crazy.”

A few minutes later, Winona said, “Oh, I never offered you guys anything to eat or drink. Hungry? Thirsty?”

“I’ll have a water,” Jim said.

“If it is not any trouble, I would like a water as well,” Spock said.

When Winona looked at Sarek, he simply said, “I do not currently require food or water.”

Winona set Bump on the ground and they watched as she toddled around, babbling away in her mixed up Vulcan and English. Spock had firmly believed the phrase ‘nobody’s perfect’ for the first twenty seven years of his life. Then Astraea was born and he knew he’d been wrong; his daughter was perfect in every way.

She was playing with a stack of something when a large man, smelling strongly of whiskey, walked into the room. He saw her and snarled. “What the hell is a devil like that doing in my house, playing with my collection?”

Before Spock could step forward and nerve-pinch the man—presumably Jim’s stepfather—and before Jim had even taken his first step towards Bump, Sarek had a phaser out and pointed at the man. “Take another step toward my granddaughter and I will pull the trigger,” he warned. “And since I stole this phaser from James, I do not know if it is set to stun or kill, so unless you wish to take that chance, I suggest you walk back out that door and do not return for the next three days.”

When Jim’s stepfather looked ready to argue, Sarek pointed it at the ‘collection’ Astraea had been playing with until Jim had picked her up. And Sarek pulled the trigger. “Fascinating,” he said to the man, “I would have expected a man like James to keep his phaser set on stun.”

The man tripped over his own drunken feet in his haste to flee his own house.

“Good riddance,” Jim muttered.

“Indeed,” Sarek agreed, returning the phaser to the pocket of his robes.

Spock was past the point of being surprised; it had become quite apparent in the last three years that Sarek would do anything for his granddaughter. She had him ‘twisted around her little finger,’ as Jim had once put it.

§§§

When they returned to San Francisco, Jim asked Astraea how she liked Earth.

“Wanna go home,” she answered.

Spock raised an eyebrow. “Where is _home_ , Bump?”

“ _Enterpise_!” she shrieked.

Jim looked at Sarek. “I’m telling you. Starfleet.”

Sarek looked evenly at Spock’s husband. “She is far too young for us to make that determination. Her intelligence is great enough, however, that Starfleet Academy would not challenge her any more than it did Spock. I believe she will choose the Vulcan Science Academy because of it.”

Spock closed his eyes and listened as his father and his husband continued what could only be called _bickering_. Every once in a while, Bump would put in her two credits. This was his family.

**_4 Years Old: Volcanoes_ **

“Absolutely not,” Jim said.

“But—”

“Chekov, you are incredibly intelligent, and I would be pleased to have you participate in educating Astraea,” Jim said. “But Sulu and I are going to cover her history lessons.”

“I am more than capable of—”

“I hate to break it to you, but your history knowledge leaves much to be desired,” Sulu interrupted. “Let me and Jim handle Human history, Spock and Sarek can handle Vulcan history, and you can have math all to yourself.”

Chekov made a face, but he didn’t argue further.

Jim looked down at the list on his PADD. He wasn’t sure about teaching all these subjects to a four year old, but Spock had insisted they at least try—and far be it from Jim to disagree with Spock’s teaching methods. It was already obvious that Astraea got her _sa-mekh_ ’s intelligence.

“So Uhura’s going to teach her English and Klingon,” Jim mused to himself. “Chekov, you have math. Sulu, you’re co-teaching history and biology, with me and Bones. Spock and Sarek are going to give her lessons in Vulcan and make sure she can control her telepathy. And Scotty and Carol are going to teach her physics and chemistry.” He frowned. “How the hell are you supposed to teach a four year old physics and chemistry?”

“A baking soda and vinegar volcano?” Sulu suggested.

“You are not helping,” Jim muttered.

§§§

Spock turned out to be right in his estimation of the classes Bump should take and how many she could handle. They were all short, an hour or less long, and she only had any given ‘class’ twice a week. Less, when the _Enterprise_ was dealing with some sort of crisis.

She seemed to have a particular knack for chemistry, such as it was, and was highly interested in history—thank god they hadn’t let Chekov teach her that.

Jim knew the custodial staff of the _Enterprise_ kind of hated them at this point; the number of volcanoes Spock and Scotty let her get away with was indecent.

**_5 Years Old: Like an I’tsan_ **

Jim finally opened his eyes, blinking blearily. “What happened?”

“According to Mr. Scott and Mr. Chekov, you were hit by a rather powerful energy ray of some kind, after which you lost consciousness,” Spock answered. “You have been unconscious for four days.”

Jim frowned. “And you’ve been here the whole time?”

“Indeed,” Spock answered. “I placed Mr. Sulu in charge of the bridge, telling him he should only call me in case of an emergency.”

Jim still looked confused. Spock reached forward and gripped his hand, rubbing his fingertips against Jim’s. Jim frowned. “Isn’t that how Vulcans kiss?” he asked.

Spock stared at his husband for a long moment. Something was not right. “Yes,” he confirmed. It would be better to let the problem reveal itself than for him to make assumptions.

As soon as Spock had answered his question, Jim yanked his hand away. Then he began babbling. “Don’t get me wrong, Spock, I think you’re attractive—and I mean _really_ attractive. But I don’t cheat on people and I refuse to knowingly be the person someone else cheats with. So unless you and Uhura broke up in the last four days, I can’t even begin to explain how much I can’t do that. And even then, I don’t want to get into a relationship with my First Officer. If it didn’t work, it would be disastrous. And it wouldn’t work, since it’d probably be a rebound more than anything.”

Once Jim shut up, Spock found he couldn’t speak. Jim… didn’t remember. “Spock?” Jim asked. “Something wrong?”

Spock took a deep breath. “I believe you are suffering from amnesia. Nyota and I have not been together for close to seven years now.”

Jim stared at him, blue eyes wide. “I don’t understand.”

“Jim, you and I have been a couple for just under six years. We’ve been married for five of those.” He reached out and picked up Jim’s left hand. “See?”

He held his own hand out so that Jim could see the matching bands they wore. Jim stared at the one on his own finger for a long time before repeating, “I don’t understand. I never wanted to get married. I don’t _do_ relationships. The _Enterprise_ is the only thing I’ve ever really wanted. I like sex, but…”

“Daddy!”

Spock should have notified McCoy the moment he realized something was wrong. Bump had been asking about Jim for the last four days; Spock should have realized McCoy would bring her up the moment Jim was awake. Humans were too emotional.

Before Spock could stop her, Bump had jumped on top of Jim, speaking rapidly in a mix of English and Vulcan.

Jim didn’t seem capable of doing anything other than staring. Spock hoped that seeing their daughter would at least make Jim believe he was telling the truth.

“Okay,” Spock said after a little bit. “It’s past your bedtime. Go have Uncle Bones take you back to _Sa’mekh’al_ ’s apartment, okay? Daddy is still sick and needs to rest.”

Astraea planted a very wet-sounding kiss on Jim’s cheek before running out of the room. Jim still hadn’t uttered a word. After a long time, he said, “She’s Vulcan. But her hair and eyes… she looks like me. She’s ours.”

“Yes. Do you remember how?” Spock asked.

Jim thought a moment and then answered, “The implant. She’s what… five?” He frowned. “But that would have meant we decided to have her _before_ we got married. And assuming… Spock, what the fuck happened? Why did we decide to have a _kid_ together before we even _got_ together?”

“Bump was an accident,” Spock said. “The general consensus is that Khan’s blood both vitalized your uterus and broke down your birth control. You remember the problem with Khan, I trust?”

“Unfortunately,” Jim replied. He frowned. “Our five year mission is over then? I missed it?”

Spock desperately wanted to roll his eyes. Since they were alone and Jim had seen much more emotion than that, he didn’t bother suppressing it. “You did not miss it. You have simply forgotten it. We need only find a way to access and unlock those memories.”

“You just rolled your eyes.”

Jim would focus on that. “Jim, please focus. You wished to know about Astraea. We were on shore leave for a week. You decided to have as much fun as possible during that period of time. By that point, I had developed strong feelings for you.”

Jim raised his eyebrows but didn’t comment.

“So when you kissed me, I reciprocated and we engaged in intercourse. I was not on any form of birth control, and saw no need for it, as I was unaware of the medical study you had participated in. In essence, I took advantage of you, as you were so drunk you did not remember it the next morning. Eight weeks and two days later, you announced to your senior officers that you were pregnant.”

“And we got together because of it?” Jim asked.

“No. You did not know I was a candidate for paternity, and the chance that I was the father was so slim I opted not to tell you,” Spock said. “You didn’t care what species she was and instructed Dr. McCoy not to tell you. After we got together, you expressed your desire that your child was mine biologically, at which point I ‘came clean,’ as you put it. You were justifiably angry. After several weeks, you forgave me and we resumed our relationship, although I was ‘cut off’ for a period of time.”

Jim stared and then began laughing. It sounded a bit hysterical, and it worried Spock. “Jim, are you alright, or should I fetch Dr. McCoy?”

Jim continued laughing for a few more seconds and then said, “Oh my god, this is so insane in must be reality. No way in hell would my brain dream up something like this. Dating you, sure. Marrying you, maybe. Having a kid with you, it’s a long shot, but possibly. But getting knocked up on accident and marrying you later is so off-the-wall it has to be true.”

“Jim, please calm down, or Dr. McCoy will likely force me to leave,” Spock said.

It took a few seconds, but Jim sobered. “Okay. So I believe you. It’s all weird as fuck, but I believe you. How do you propose we fix it?”

Spock pursed his lips. He really should have tried to bond with Jim when they first married, success rate of such a bonding be damned. He should have predicted that something like this would happen—Jim had a higher accident rate than the average person, after all, and seemed to go out of his way to get into trouble.

“In Vulcans, amnesia—retrograde amnesia in particular—can often be cured through a mind meld with someone to whom the patient is bonded,” Spock answered.

“So you just what, meld with me, find the problem and fix it?” Jim asked.

“In this case it is not so simple,” Spock said. “While we have shared many melds over the years, we have not bonded.”

Jim frowned. “Why not?”

“It is difficult and dangerous,” Spock answered. “We were waiting.”

“Waiting for what?”

“I… you _do_ share a bond with Astraea. She is too young and too weak a telepath to perform the necessary meld, but it is theoretically possible that I could guide her through the meld to fix your memories,” Spock said. “After which you should remember what we are waiting for.”

“Oh god, I’m pregnant again, aren’t I?” Jim asked. “That’s what we’re waiting for? Because it’s dangerous, we don’t want to risk the baby?”

“No,” Spock answered. “It is something that Vulcans simply do not speak of. I have already discussed it with you once and unless we are unable to restore your memories, I do not wish to speak of it again.”

Jim didn’t look pleased but said, “Whatever. When?”

“It is far past Astraea’s bedtime, and you have only just awoken. It is possible your memories will come back on their own,” Spock replied. “I suggest three days from now, to give you time to recover before we attempt the meld.”

Jim rolled his eyes but nodded.

§§§

“Spock…”

“Yes, Jim?”

“Where are my boxers?” Jim asked. “Or some briefs? Why… whatever these are?” He was holding up a pair of panties that Jim often claimed were some of his favorites. Spock was still uncertain if Jim actually liked the way they felt more than the others, or if it was simply the fact that the sheer fabric made it nearly impossible for Spock not to rip them off.

“When you were pregnant, you found your genitals had become incredibly sensitive,” Spock replied. “Underwear such as those were the only kind you felt tolerable. Once your pregnancy was over, you had become accustomed to them and didn’t desire to return to more masculine undergarments, as no one else would be seeing them, aside from myself. To my knowledge, you no longer possess any boxers or briefs.”

Jim stared at Spock for a moment and then accused, “I wear them because you think it’s hot, don’t I?”

“I cannot deny that I find them arousing,” Spock answered slowly. He could feel his cheeks and ears turning green but refused to acknowledge it. “And I believe you have continued wearing them in part because I find them attractive. You have insisted that it’s because they’re more comfortable. I have been unable to ascertain how much of your motivation is my enjoyment and how much is your comfort.”

Jim stared then pulled the sickbay gown off, muttering, “How kinky is our sex life, if wearing panties for you is an everyday thing?”

§§§

When Jim’s memory still hadn’t returned three days later, Spock pulled Astraea into his lap. “You know how Daddy doesn’t remember anything?”

“Yeah,” Bump answered. “Cause he got shot by an alien.”

Spock wanted to correct her, but the specifics of why Jim couldn’t remember weren’t important at the moment. “Well, I’ve melded with him to see if I can find the problem. I did, but we need your help to fix it. So if I help, can you perform a guided meld with Daddy so we can make him remember?”

“He’ll remember me?” Astraea asked.

“Probably,” Spock answered, unable and unwilling to lie to her. “It is possible it won’t work, but I believe it will.”

“Okay.”

Spock carried her to their bedroom, where he instructed Jim to lay back and close his eyes. He then helped Astraea position her small fingers on Jim’s face before positioning his own on hers. He gently entered his daughter’s mind, bracing himself for what he knew was coming. Sure enough, her mind was bright and vibrant, the mind of a child. More disconcerting than that, however, was that her mind was also messy and loud, the mind of a Human.

Once he had centered himself, he carefully centered her, and he led her into Jim’s mind. Jim’s mind was almost identical to Astraea’s; loud, vibrant, chaotic. He loved this man’s mind. He gently led Astraea to the damaged part and helped her use the bond she still had with Jim to patch the hole. _Like an i’tsan_ Bump’s mind supplied.

A bridge was an apt description; the problem was that there was a block of some sort between Jim’s memories and his conscious mind. Destroying the block—especially through a guided meld—could result in permanent brain damage, to any or all of them. However building a bridge _over_ the block should solve the problem.

 _Exactly_ he spoke to her.

He helped her build a bridge that would hold up for a while, barring any further damage to Jim’s brain. Hopefully Spock would be able to bond with Jim and destroy the block before the bridge had degraded so much that it needed to be rebuilt.

The moment they finished the melds, Jim seized Astraea and began kissing her face. “Oh, my baby girl, I’m so sorry, I’m so so so sorry, how could I ever forget you?”

Spock smiled. Good. It had worked. Now all he had to do was wait his turn to be reacquainted with Jim. A week was too long not to be allowed to touch one’s husband.

**_6 Years Old: Nezhak Vaksurik_ **

“Spock, James,” Sarek said one evening. “It would be most appropriate for us to take a shuttle to New Vulcan in 2.4 months.”

“Father?” Spock asked.

“Your cousin Stenok is getting formally bonded,” Sarek told Spock. “As the few remaining members of our clan, it is our duty to make an appearance.”

“Indeed, Father,” Spock said. “Jim and I shall contact Starfleet and fill out the appropriate paperwork to be granted shore leave at that time.”

“Wait,” Jim said, “I thought bonding occurred during… you know.”

Sarek’s face closed off and he looked away from them. Jim wasn’t completely clear on all the details, but he understood just how ashamed both Spock and Sarek seemed to be of it. The fact that Spock had told him at all probably irritated Sarek, even though they were married.

“That is an informal bonding,” Spock said carefully. “More important than the formal one, of course, as it is when the two join minds. The formal bonding is nothing more than the Vulcan equivalent of a wedding.” Spock looked at him with affection in his eyes. “As usual, we are doing things out of order.”

“Yeah,” Jim agreed. There really was no arguing that particular point.

§§§

“It’s _hot_ ,” Bump whined, tugging at her traditional Vulcan robes.

Jim agreed, but he wasn’t about to tell his daughter that. “Hush,” he told her.

“But _Daddy_ —”

“No, Astraea,” Jim answered. “I understand that you are hot, but sometimes we have to do things we don’t particularly like. Like eating our vegetables.”

She pouted and slouched down in her seat.

Spock leaned in and whispered into Jim’s ear, “Did you just compare my cousin’s formal bonding ceremony to eating vegetables?”

“Technically I compared being hot to eating vegetables,” Jim murmured.

Jim was certain that if they were back on the ship, Spock would have rolled his eyes; in the middle of a crowd of Vulcans, he restrained himself.

§§§

After the ceremony was over, an older Vulcan approached them. She raised her hand in the Vulcan salute. Jim, Spock, and Sarek returned it; Astraea attempted it, but ended up with one finger separate from the other three.

“This must be Astraea, daughter of Spock,” the woman said. “And Captain James Kirk.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Jim answered. He desperately wanted to ask who the hell she was, but even he knew better than that.

“ _Sarlah’uh la, Kan_ ,” the woman ordered, looking at Astraea.

Astraea complied, stepping toward her. The woman pressed her fingertips to Bump’s face and Jim really wished he knew exactly _who_ was melding with his daughter.

When the woman withdrew, her eyes were brighter than before. “ _Ma tu kashek vaksurik_ ,” she said before nodding politely at Jim and walking away.

As they returned to the shuttle, Jim asked, “Who was she, Spock?”

“That was T’Pau,” Sarek replied.

Jim stopped in his tracks, staring at his husband and father-in-law. “ _T’Pau_?” he asked. “As in the only person to ever turn down a seat on the Federation Council? The matriarch of Clan Surak? _That_ T’Pau?”

“Indeed,” Spock answered. “Why?”

“Because that’s the kind of thing you _tell_ your husband, Spock!” Jim said.

“I see,” Spock answered. “I shall remember it in case a similar scenario ever occurs.”

“I liked her,” Bump put in. “She said my mind is beautiful.” Suddenly she frowned. “ _Sa-mekh_ , if she thinks my mind is beautiful, why do you always meditate after a meld?”

“Your mind is beautiful,” Spock answered. “It is also, however, extremely chaotic. I am so accustomed to the order of my mind that yours can be a bit overwhelming at times.”

“Oh.” Their daughter frowned. “I thought chaos was bad.”

“Typically, yes,” Spock acknowledged. “Your mind and Daddy’s mind seem to be the exceptions that prove the rule.”

Jim wasn’t sure Astraea quite understood what Spock was saying, so he said, “Your mind is perfect, Bump. Beautiful chaos.”

That seemed to placate her, just in time for them to board the shuttle that would take them back to the _Enterprise_.

**_7 Years Old: Pon Farr_ **

There was a burning beneath Spock’s skin. It had begun the day before just after lunch, and Spock had believed it to be nothing more than the solution a careless Ensign had spilled on him in the lab that morning. Today, however, he had to conclude it was more than that. He went to Dr. McCoy.

“I am experiencing trouble regulating my body temperature,” he told the doctor. “If you would take my temperature, I would be grateful.”

Bones held a tricorder above Spock for a moment and then replied, “41.5 Celsius. Isn’t that high, even for a Vulcan?”

“Indeed it is,” Spock answered. “I must go discuss this with Jim. Consider both Jim and myself on medical leave until further notice.”

“Wait just a minute—”

“If you are concerned about the necessity of it, simply contact my father. Tell him that my Time has arrived and he will confirm my need for both the sick leave and my need for Jim’s presence,” Spock said. “I must go.”

“Bloody hobgoblins,” he heard McCoy mutter as he left sickbay.

Spock made his way to his father’s quarters. “ _Sa-mekh_!” Bump hollered.

“Bump,” he said, patting her shoulder when she attached herself to his leg. He looked at his father. Stiffly he said, “I do not know if—”

“Dr. McCoy has already contacted me,” Sarek answered. “You need say nothing more.”

“Thank you, _Sa-mekh_ ,” Spock said. He looked down at his daughter. “Let go, Astraea.”

“But _Sa-mekh_ —”

“No, Astraea. I have to go. Stay here with _Sa’mekh’al_.”

“But _Sa-mekh_!” It was at least gratifying to know that his daughter would prefer to go with him than to stay here with her grandfather. It did, however, make it difficult to leave—he was not Human and therefore did _not_ feel guilty about it—but he had no idea how long he had before his logic would leave him.

Once he had pried Astraea off of his legs, he returned to his and Jim’s quarters, his strides swift and sure. He saw more than one crewmember begin to approach him and then think better of it. The moment he arrived in their bedroom. He went to the intership communicator and hit the button. “Spock to bridge.”

“Bridge here,” Nyota’s voice returned.

“Please inform the Captain that it is Time, and that I have already obtained medical leave for him. He will know what I mean,” Spock answered.

“Spock?” Nyota asked. “Are you okay?”

“I am fine,” Spock assured her. “Please tell Jim. Spock out.”

Even though he knew Jim was coming—or perhaps _because_ he knew Jim was coming—the burning itch beneath Spock’s skin was growing worse by the minute.

Jim appeared, face flushed, breathing heavily, as though he had run the entire way. “Spock,” Jim said. “I—”

“Clothes. Off,” Spock growled.

Jim blinked and nodded, stripping away his uniform as he made his way to the bed. He glanced over his shoulder. “You know, Spock, taking off _your_ clothes might be helpful.”

Right. Clothes. Right. Spock heard clothing tear as he pulled his shirt off, but it didn’t matter. Not when Jim was so close. His mate. He looked at Jim again and growled. Jim was on his back, two fingers already in his ass. He stalked forward and rolled Jim over. He needed to be inside Jim right the fuck now.

Jim got on his hands and knees without objection, spreading his legs wide to give Spock room to maneuver. Spock positioned his cock at Jim’s puckered entrance and thrust inside. The heat clamped down around his cock, welcoming him. He began to pump his hips, until a whimper from Jim caught his attention, barely filtering through the lust and the fever in his brain. He stopped. “Jim?” he asked hoarsely.

“Not stretched enough,” Jim answered. “Hurts. Can you give me a minute?”

Spock waited with only a few stuttering jerks until Jim said, “Okay. Okay.”

Spock was relieved; he couldn’t have held on much longer anyway. He began fucking Jim hard, reaching down to spread Jim’s ass cheeks apart so he could watch his cock drive into his mate over and over again. He watched as his cock repeatedly stretched those muscles wide, Jim’s body almost sucking him inside.

“You’re going to be pregnant after this, Jim,” Spock grunted. “You won’t be able to move, you’ll be so pregnant with my babies. And everyone will know. Everyone will know you let me do this to you, that you let me fuck you full of my children. And you’ll like it, won’t you? You’ll like that everyone knows you take my cock? That you’re carrying my children?”

Jim whimpered again, although this one wasn’t pained.

“Answer… me,” Spock ordered, punctuating his words with harsh thrusts. “Tell me… how bad… you… want… it.”

Jim still didn’t answer, but he did cry out and ejaculate all over the bedspread; Spock figured that was answer enough. He kept moving inside Jim, reveling in the little gasps his mate kept releasing. Then he pressed his fingertips to the side of Jim’s face and plunged into his mind.

It was automatic and instinctual, finding the bonding center of Jim’s brain. He almost growled at feeling another bond already in place in Jim’s mind, until he recognized it as one identical to the one Spock had with his daughter. Their daughter. Astraea was Jim’s only bond.

So Spock pressed his mind into Jim’s, weaving together a bond that would never fall apart. He was distantly aware that his hips were still moving. Suddenly he could feel Jim’s pleasure as well as his own. He crested, feeling Jim come a second time with a pained moan.

He lowered himself down on top of Jim, his logic returning enough that he was able to be gentle about it.

“Fuck,” Jim groaned. “Could you pull out?”

The blood fever immediately descended and Spock bit Jim’s ear, making him yelp. “I’ll take that as a no,” Jim grumbled. “Could you at least tell me _why_?”

Spock had to fight his way through a haze to answer Jim’s question. “Many Vulcans only have sex during _Pon Farr_. During this time, males are biologically compelled to do everything we can to encourage conception.”

“So you can’t pull out because you’re using your cock as a plug,” Jim summed up.

Spock kissed the back of his neck. “Essentially.”

Jim grumbled something under his breath, but it was so indistinct even Spock’s Vulcan hearing couldn’t pick up exactly what was said.

§§§

Spock didn’t remember much of the next two days, turning into a haze of fucking Jim in every position he could think of. It wasn’t long before Jim had finally made him dig out the synthetic plug so he could have a little break without setting off another round of the fever.

Spock felt the clearness return and desperately wanted to run to the bathroom and never come back out. At least Vulcan women understood how shameful it was, and only spoke of it to prepare any daughters for their duties in the future, and the possibility that it could happen to them. Jim would not understand, would likely wish to _speak_ of it, and Spock was uncertain he could bear such a conversation.

Unfortunately, he was not able to run, as Jim was laying half on top of him, completely asleep. And after the marathon sex they’d had, and the way Spock had essentially _used_ Jim’s body, he felt Jim deserved to sleep as long as he wished. Spock also didn’t wish to risk waking Jim, as that would only make that conversation happen sooner.

It was thirty two minutes later that Jim began shifting around as he slowly woke up. He kissed Spock’s collarbone and groaned. “Well, you’re not molesting me, so I’m going to assume it’s over.”

“Correct,” Spock said. He was displeased to find his voice was hoarse.

“Okay. Well, I have a few questions.”

“Jim—”

“Spock,” Jim said, “Just listen.”

Spock didn’t answer. Jim was still lying on top of him and Spock wasn’t sure he could escape without hurting him.

“How often does this happen?” Jim asked.

“Approximately every seven years,” Spock replied. “There are other factors, but we can expect another at that time.”

Jim nodded against Spock’s shoulder. “How much of it do you remember?”

“Jim—”

“Spock, I’m only asking because there are some things you did to my body that I do _not_ want to wait seven years for,” Jim interrupted. “I know it’s a shameful time and all that, but it’s about the loss of control, not the actions themselves, right?”

“Correct,” Spock said slowly.

“So we could do those things again, when you’re thinking clearly and we can both enjoy them,” Jim suggested.

“I see no logical reason not to,” Spock answered. Many Vulcans would be appalled at Spock’s willingness to succumb to his carnal urges outside his Time; many Vulcans didn’t have James Tiberius Kirk in their beds.

“One last question,” Jim said, “Can we get this plug out of my ass? I am so sore I don’t think I’ll be able to sit for a week.”

§§§

“Spock,” Jim called from their bathroom. “Come here. I need to show you something.”

Spock frowned. There was very little that Jim might want to show him that couldn’t be brought out of the bathroom. But he left Astraea working on the homework Dr. McCoy had given her and went to the bathroom.

Jim promptly held a small plastic stick towards him. Spock accepted it, frowning. “What is this?”

Jim stared. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No,” Spock answered. “Is it… it is a home pregnancy test?” He stared down at the small plus sign. “You are—”

“Shhh!” hissed Jim. “I don’t think we should tell Bump just yet.”

“Ah,” Spock said. “Of course. It is positive, then?”

Jim nodded. “I’d like to check with Bones, just to be sure, but these things were accurate last time.”

Spock nodded. Feeling awkward, he asked, “Would you like me to accompany you?”

“Nah,” Jim answered, “For the imaging sessions and actual appointments, definitely. For the test to make sure I’m actually pregnant? Only if you want to. All it is, is me peeing in a cup.”

“I see.”

§§§

“You’re definitely pregnant,” McCoy grumbled. “I can’t figure out why you think it’s a good _idea_ , but that doesn’t change the fact that you’ve got another Spocklet inside you.”

Jim relaxed back on the biobed. “Thanks, Bones.”

“Yeah, whatever, kid,” McCoy muttered. “Same vitamin regimen as last time, understood? And I’m reprogramming your card again.” He glared at Spock. “And don’t you dare use _yours_ to give him food he shouldn’t be having.”

“I would not do anything to risk either Jim or our child,” Spock replied. “And you are more knowledgeable about the Human body than I.”

McCoy snorted and waved them both out of medical bay.

§§§

“You’re kidding,” Jim said, staring at the screen.

“Unfortunately not,” McCoy answered. He glared at first Spock and then Jim. “See, this kind of shit is what happens when you don’t listen to your doctor. You give birth without having your uterus removed and seven years later you end up pregnant with multiples!”

“Shut up, Uncle Bonesy,” Jim ordered.

“I’ve told you not to call me that,” McCoy grumbled.

§§§

“Astraea, _Sa-mekh_ and I need to tell you something,” Jim said.

Astraea blinked her wide blue eyes at him. “Daddy?” she asked.

“You’re going to be a big sister,” Jim said slowly.

Spock didn’t blame him for hesitating; he had no idea how Astraea was going to react to the news. It wasn’t as though they’d _planned_ on getting pregnant, so they couldn’t very well have asked her how she felt before the fact.

Astraea frowned. “Why?”

Jim looked at her and then turned to Spock, looking at a loss. Then he said, “That’s the Vulcan in her. You can answer it.”

That was an illogical response if Spock had ever heard one. But it was Jim, so he’d come to expect it. “Daddy is pregnant,” Spock told their daughter. “That time a couple months ago, when you spent three nights in a row with _Sa’mekh’al_ , it was because I was trying to get Daddy pregnant so we could have another baby. And it worked.” So it wasn’t quite that simple. Jim would probably get mad at him if he went into further details about the why and the how and the when.

Astraea blinked at them and then said, “But you don’t look pregnant, Daddy.”

Spock knew Jim disagreed, and Spock could already see the changes beginning to take place on Jim’s body. But they were subtle enough that no one else could have noticed them yet. “I will soon, baby girl,” Jim said. “Do you want to see?”

Astraea nodded eagerly. “Okay, let’s go and Uncle Bonesy can show you.”

When they arrived in medical bay, Jim said, “Bones, can you show her an image?”

Bones nodded and handed her the appropriate PADD. He began scanning Jim’s abdomen and Spock helped her figure out what was what. “See, here’s a head,” Spock explained.

“Can you count how many there are?” Jim asked.

Astraea nodded, focusing on the image. She pointed to each as she quickly counted, “ **Wa’ cha’ wej**. Three.” She frowned. “You have three _kan-bu_ , Daddy?”

“Yeah,” Jim answered. “You’re going to have three siblings.”

“ _Sa-kai il ko-kai_?” she asked.

Jim looked at Spock. “Do you want to find out?”

“It would be logical,” Spock replied. He never had understood the reasoning behind _not_ learning the sex of one’s child. If nothing else, it permitted one to choose appropriate names before the child was born. “Dr. McCoy, if you would?”

“If I would what?” McCoy asked irritably. “It may have slipped your notice, but aside from the three of you, Sarek and Uhura are the only ones on this ship who speak Vulcan.”

“Astraea wants to know if she’s having brothers or sisters, Bones,” Jim said. “Could you scan and tell us?”

“Yeah,” McCoy answered with a soft look at Astraea. “Which one first?”

“ **Wa’** ,” Astraea replied, pointing at the same child she had the first time.

“ **Wa’** is a girl,” McCoy answered, although he rather butchered the Klingon.

“ **Cha’** ,” Astraea said.

“ **Cha’** is also a girl,” McCoy said.

“ **Wej** ,” Astraea finished.

“ **Wej** is… how the hell did the two of you manage that?” McCoy demanded. “Statistically, it’s more likely for you two to have sons, but you’ve got Astraea and three more girls on the way.”

Jim didn’t appear to be listening. Instead he was staring at their daughter. “Did she just nickname our daughters the Klingon words for one, two, and three?”

“Jim,” Spock said, “I think you are missing the more important point. You and I are expected to raise four female offspring.”

“Oh. Right.”

**_8 Years Old: T’rehsu_ **

This was _miserable_. Bump had been uncomfortable. Wa’, Cha’, and Wej were _hell_. “I never want to be pregnant again,” Jim whined at Spock. He was only thirty weeks pregnant and he still felt about ten times bigger than he had even when forty weeks pregnant with Bump.

“That is a good thing,” Spock answered, not looking up from where he was reviewing Astraea’s homework. “A Cesarean section is much safer for the delivery of triplets, particularly considering your body is not naturally designed to give birth. As that will involve the removal of your uterus, additional pregnancies will be impossible.”

“Cheers to that,” Jim muttered.

§§§

“Have you thought about names?” Jim asked Spock, cuddling up to his husband as much as he could with his enormous belly getting in the way.

“I assumed we would be operating under the same system as last time,” Spock replied. “You will choose their names and I shall choose their middle names.”

Jim shrugged. “That was mostly because I was still having trouble believing you were the biological father. Anyway, I’d like your input. And I’m still not great at Vulcan pronunciation, so keep that in mind.”

Spock stroked Jim’s hair as he replied, “I am partial to the name Ashalynn.”

‘Partial to,’ Jim mouthed to himself before saying, “Care to tell me why?”

“To name one of them Amanda would be—I fear it would cause myself and my father undue pain. However, the name Amanda means love, or worthy of love. The Vulcan word for love is _ashaya_.”

Jim didn’t know how to respond to that. Because—“Spock, did you _make up a name_?”

Spock’s hand stopped moving in his hair. “If you do not find it pleasing—”

“No, no, I love it,” Jim interrupted. “I’m just surprised is all.”

“I see. You are amenable to naming one of them Ashalynn?”

“Yes,” Jim answered. “Any others?”

“Not at the moment,” Spock replied. “Do you have any names to which you are partial?”

“I don’t know. I’d like to name one of them after Pike. He was the closest thing I ever had to a father, you know? And since my mother wasn’t really _there_ , it’s almost like he’s the closest thing I had to a _parent_.”

“Christie and Chrystal are both feminine forms of Christopher,” Spock immediately supplied.

Jim frowned. “Did you just memorize the baby name books, or did you know I would want to name one after Pike?”

“I suspected you would wish to name one of our children after your mentor, yes,” Spock answered. “I also memorized the books. You should know by now that Vulcan memory is flawless.”

“Could’ve fooled me, considering how long it took you to call me by my name,” Jim muttered.

“I did not forget, I merely deemed it inappropriate, Captain,” Spock answered.

Jim couldn’t help it; he laughed. “How do you convince everyone you’re an emotionless robot with no sense of humor?” he asked.

“It takes practice,” Spock acknowledged. “Any other names you would like to use?”

Jim shrugged. “I’d like to give one of them a middle name after Bones. Other than that… not really. We could name Wa’ Ashalynn, Cha’ Chrystal, and just let Wej be the third one’s name.”

Spock didn’t dignify that with an answer.

§§§

Jim was relieved. It had _finally_ been thirty eight weeks. He was ready for these babies to be _out_. The fact that he had been on bedrest for the last six weeks wasn’t helping matters. It was unnerving, to be laid out on one of the biobeds and drugged, but it would be over soon.

§§§

When Jim was lucid enough to speak, he held one of the triplets, another in Spock’s arms, and the last—predictably—in Sarek’s.

“He’s awake,” their grandfather said. “Can you tell me their names now?”

Jim looked at Spock. He had never said Spock had to wait for him to wake up to reveal their names. There was a sparkle in Spock’s eye though. Jim laughed. Spock had been _teasing_ his very Vulcan father. Oh, he was a fantastic influence on his husband.

“Which is Wa’?” he asked.

“You are holding her,” Spock said.

Jim nodded and looked down at the baby. They were all so much tinier than Bump had been. “Her name is Ashalynn Harauk Kirk, daughter of Spock.”

Spock looked down at the child in his arms. “This is Lennie Taurik Kirk, daughter of Spock.” So Spock had Wej, then.

“And this one?” Sarek demanded. “What name have you given Cha’?”

“Chrystal T’Alaro Kirk, daughter of Spock,” Jim answered with a smile.

That was the moment Astraea bounced in. “Can I see them, _kup-gla-tor nash-veh au_ , **chaH laH-legh jIH**?”

Jim could only assume the last bit was the Klingon for the same question she’d already asked in English and in Vulcan.

“Sit down,” Spock said. “Then you may hold one of them.”

Jim wasn’t sure how good an idea that was, considering how hyperactive Astraea seemed at the moment. But the moment she sat down, she got very still. Spock gently placed Lennie in her arms. “This is Lennie,” he said gently.

“They’re all so tiny,” Bump said.

“They are,” Spock said. “That’s why you must be very careful around them.”

“And protect them,” she said.

“Indeed,” Spock agreed. “Now go with Uncle Leonard. It’s way past your bedtime.”

“But _Sa-mekh_ —”

“Go.”

She turned to Jim. “Daddy—”

“You heard _Sa-mekh_. Time for bed.”

In a last ditch attempt to avoid bedtime, she turned to Sarek and said, “ _Sa’mekh’al_ , do I _have_ to?”

“Go, _Pukeshta svi’khio’rilar_ ,” Sarek answered. “There will be plenty of time to be spent with your sisters tomorrow.”

“Come on, my mini-hobgoblin,” Bones said. “You and Seb and Mike can have a slumber party in our cabin.”

Spock’s lips twitched in disapproval; a slumber party with the Marcus-McCoy twins always meant she stayed up way past her bedtime anyway.

“No chocolate,” he warned Bones.

“You think I don’t know that?” Bones called back.

Jim closed his eyes and fell asleep to the sound of his husband and his best friend bickering, the slight weight of his new daughter on his chest.

**_9 Years Old: Little Heathens_ **

“I don’t approve of this,” Spock told Jim.

“I told them we’d visit,” Jim answered.

“No, you told them we would consider it,” Spock corrected.

Jim rolled his eyes. “Spock, they have dilithium crystals. Maybe we can work out a deal with them. And family is sacred to them, remember? Who has a better chance than us to make that deal with them?”

Spock couldn’t argue that particular point.

§§§

“Captain Kirk, Commander Spock, welcome,” the same alien as before—Galenmork, the high priest and leader of their people—greeted. “It has been a while.”

“Close to ten years, at least according to the Federation calendar,” Jim agreed affably. “You suggested we visit after our child was born. As it turns out, this is our first chance. She’s nine now, and we have three others who are a bit more than one.”

“Four children. You have a large family, Captain Kirk,” Galenmork answered. “It is rare for our people to have more than one child. It is why family is so precious to us.” He regarded Spock’s husband thoughtfully. “We are a dying race, you must understand. If each couple can only produce one child, with every generation, the population is halved.”

Jim frowned and Spock knew his husband well—if Jim thought it possible, he would help these people. “Why is it so difficult to conceive?”

Galenmork blinked three red eyes and then said, “Perhaps you should beam down. You and your family, of course.”

“Can I bring my Medical Officer as well?” Jim asked. “If it’s a medical issue that’s keeping you from having children, he might be able to help. He’s the best doctor Starfleet has.”

“Very well.”

Spock went with Jim to his father’s cabin, where Sarek was caring for Bump and the triplets. “ _Sa-mekh_ ,” Spock said. “We are beaming down to the planet. They wish to meet our family.”

His father looked less than pleased at the idea of his grandchildren beaming down to a planet that had been hostile last time they visited. Then he said, “I am accompanying you.”

“Sarek—” Jim began.

“I am part of your family, am I not?” Sarek insisted, already positioning Ashalynn in a sling on his chest. “Besides, we can each carry one of the triplets, and I can keep an eye on Astraea while you talk with the native people.”

“It is logical,” Spock told his husband. “And as Dr. McCoy will also be there, he can look after Bump. The more adults present, the safer our children will be, should things go badly.”

“They won’t,” Jim said confidently.

“You cannot know that,” Spock said.

“Spock,” Jim argued, “They let you go because I told them you were my mate. If that isn’t proof of their ‘family is sacred’ claim, nothing is. They won’t hurt us when we have our children there.”

Privately Spock agreed, but he hardly needed to encourage Jim’s leaps of logic. He made far too many of them as it was. “I still prefer to have my father present,” he said. “And three generations all together will be even better, will it not?”

Jim rolled his eyes, but didn’t argue as he placed Lennie in the sling he had against his chest.

§§§

When they beamed down, Galenmork greeted them, along with a contingent of priests and priestesses.

Galenmork’s three eyes immediately fixed on Dr. McCoy and Spock’s father. “You claimed you were bringing a medical officer and no one else.”

“You asked that I bring my family, Priest Galenmork,” Jim answered. “I brought my four children, my mate, and my mate’s father. That is my family. Then there is Dr. McCoy, the Chief Medical Officer onboard the _Enterprise_.”

Galenmork blinked, as though unsure how to process the fact that Spock’s father was with them. Then he asked, “You have the father of your mate with you as well? He still lives?”

“Er, yes,” Jim said. “Why wouldn’t he?”

“It is exceedingly rare for our kind to live long enough to see grandchildren,” Galenmork answered. “We often don’t live to see our own children through to adulthood.”

Dr. McCoy was frowning, not that Spock could blame him. There were certain species of animals that this was true for, but not any intelligent species that he was aware of.

Galenmork explained, “We often have difficulty conceiving and don’t have children until well into our fertile years. As a result, we are older as parents and therefore die earlier in our children’s lives.”

Ah. That explained it. Jim looked upset. “This isn’t fair,” he said to Spock, barely loud enough for Spock to hear it. “I shouldn’t have been able to conceive at all, but we got pregnant on accident. Twice.”

“Have you been able to determine why you have such difficulty conceiving?” Dr. McCoy asked.

“Daddy, down!” Lennie demanded.

Jim didn’t argue, simply set her down on the floor.

Of course, that immediately resulted in Ashalynn and Chrystal wanting down as well. They all began running around, resulting in a muttered, “Little heathens,” from Jim.

“We have not,” Galenmork said, as though the children hadn’t interrupted the conversation and weren’t currently running around and screaming. His sharp teeth were showing in what Spock could only interpret as a smile. “If you could at least figure out a possible reason, we would be grateful. Indeed, a new set of eyes might well be what we need.”

“Dr. McCoy would need to examine some of you,” Jim said. “Preferably some of you who have children and some of you who don’t.”

Spock heard Dr. McCoy muttering under his breath, something about how he studied to heal Humans, not diagnose aliens. But before he could say anything that might really offend their hosts, Jim shouted, “Lennie, no!”

Spock looked over just in time to see their daughter—who had at some point stripped naked, not an unusual occurrence—poop on the immaculate floor.

“My apologies,” Spock said as Jim frantically tried to clean their daughter up and get her dressed again. “She is quite unpredictable.”

Galenmork simply laughed. “Children are a joy, are they not? You are blessed to have so many.”

Looking at the pink tinge of Lennie’s skin beneath her dark hair, the pointed ears all his daughters possessed, and the human eyebrows they all shared; hearing Ashalynn’s mixed English and Vulcan babble, Lennie’s objections at being redressed, and Astraea’s poorly muffled giggles; Spock couldn’t agree more. He had never planned on having children, but he truly was blessed.

“We are,” Spock agreed.

§§§

“They all eat too much seaweed,” Dr. McCoy griped. “That’s all it was. With each generation, the intolerance to seaweed gets higher, meaning more miscarriages because either the mother or the fetus can’t tolerate the iron content of the plants. Why the hell was that so difficult to figure out?”

“Because it is a staple in their diet,” Spock answered. “They all eat it and always have. A sudden, universal intolerance is very strange. Something must have slowly changed in the seaweed.”

Dr. McCoy left, looking disgruntled.

“Well, at least they were so grateful they signed that treaty,” Jim put in. “Starfleet will be pleased.”

“Indeed,” Spock answered, stroking Bump’s hair.

“ _Sa-mekh_ ,” she said. “Why are you so touchy-feely right now?”

“Touchy-feely?” Spock asked. “Where did you learn that term?”

“Uncle Bones always says I’m touchy-feely for a Vulcan,” she answered. “Cause I don’t pick up emotions without concentrating, so it doesn’t bother me. But you do. And my mind is crazy to you. So why are you so touchy-feely today?”

“I am fortunate to have you and your sisters, Astraea, and sometimes I forget that. That is all,” Spock answered. “Seeing a community that so desires children reminded me of what I never thought I would have.”

Astraea clearly didn’t understand what Spock was feeling, but she was only nine. When she was older, if she ever looked back on this day, she would understand why Spock felt the need to caress her hair. Chaotic or not, Spock needed to feel her mind, to be reminded of the beauty he so often took for granted.

**_10 Years Old: Grounded_ **

“I did perfectly fine in a public school,” Bones was saying as Jim sat down at the table.

“What are you guys arguing about this time?” Jim asked.

“Leonard wants to send the twins to a public school,” Carol said. “I feel the Starfleet Private School System would be more appropriate.”

“Yeah, throw them in with a bunch of other ‘Fleet brats!” Bones groused. “That’ll _really_ give them a good impression of what life is like in the real world.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, they _are_ ‘Fleet brats,” Carol said. “They wouldn’t _fit in_ anywhere else. Not to mention the fact that it’ll be easier to pull them out if we get reassigned.”

Bones looked at Jim and Jim realized he was about to be dragged headfirst into the middle of their argument. “Tell her public schools are fine,” Bones demanded. “Just because she grew up in the Starfleet Private Schools doesn’t mean our boys have to.”

Jim decided the best way to respond was to involve himself as little as possible. “Spock and I have decided to enroll Astraea in the Starfleet Schools.”

“See?” Carol said.

Jim ignored her and continued. “Starfleet interacts with alien races on a regular basis, and has many individuals who are in fact not Human. Their school system is better prepared to meet the needs of a hybrid child such as Bump.” Not to mention the fact that she was hyper-intelligent, something Castell seemed convinced she got from both sides of her family, although Sarek insisted it was her Vulcan genetics.

He looked at his two best friends. “As for two entirely Human children, I couldn’t tell you. I don’t know much about school, mind you. I dropped out of public school and never attended Starfleet’s private schools.”

Bones grumbled something that sounded like an insult to Jim’s intelligence, while simultaneously calling him a genius. Jim decided to ignore it. “Spock once told you that having your children on the bridge was not what was best for your family, but it was what was best for ours,” Jim said. “I cannot tell you what to do here, as what is best for Bump may not be best for Thing One and Thing Two.”

Carol smiled at Jim. “Thanks. This has been helpful.”

“Has it?” Bones grumbled.

“Yes,” Carol answered. “What’s best for them is for them to start making their own decisions. Since both options are apparently equally sound, we should ask Michael and Sebastian their opinions on the matter.”

§§§

“I want to go back to the ship,” Astraea whined. “This is _weird_ , not being in space.”

“Starfleet,” Jim hissed at Sarek, before telling his daughter, “The _Enterprise_ is currently being refurbished. Your father and I have taken temporary positions at Starfleet Academy, until the renovations are done, after which we may or may not return to space.” Bump wouldn’t be the only one crying if they got stuck on Earth; Jim was sure he would cry, and Spock was certain to lose at least a little bit of that Vulcan indifference if he weren’t allowed to conduct more research.

“But—”

“No buts, Astraea,” Spock said firmly. “We are living on Earth for a time, after which your dad and I will make the logical decisions regarding our family and whether or not it is beneficial to return to the _Enterprise_.”

Astraea pouted for the rest of the day. Jim was not looking forward to the time when she’s actually a teenager. It was going to be dreadful.

§§§

It was dreadful, being stuck planetside. It had been more than a decade since Jim had spent any significant amount of time on Earth. His classes were interesting, he supposed. One in particular.

Tactical Skills 331 and Tactical Skills 999 were taken simultaneously by every single cadet on the command track. TSK 331 included a lot of in-depth analyses of different battles that had actually taken place, as well as theoretical scenarios. They were assigned with creating plans to result in the best possible outcome. TSK 999 was the Kobayashi Maru.

Many of his students were intimidated by him—a highly decorated captain, having captained the Fleet’s flagship for more than a decade while simultaneously raising a family.

The rest of them were convinced they could get him to accidentally reveal the answer to the Kobayashi Maru simulation.

§§§

“Daddy, can I have some friends over tomorrow?” Astraea asked.

Jim looked at her. She looked hopeful. He was having trouble processing the question. Finally he asked, “You have friends?”

It was obviously the wrong question to ask; thankfully his daughter got frustrated, not upset. “Of _course_ I have friends, Daddy, why wouldn’t I?”

Jim didn’t know why she wouldn’t; all four of his daughters were perfect. There was just the fact that… “You are not genetically predisposed to make friends easily,” he replied. “ _Sa-mekh_ and I are both rather terrible at it.” They both offended people too easily, without meaning to. Sure, Jim could be charming and charismatic when he wanted to be, but he was well aware that his personality beneath that could be… grating. God knew how Spock had put up with him for the last ten years.

“Well I have made plenty of friends just fine,” Bump said. “I must be smarter than you guys.” Sometimes Jim suspected that was actually true. And considering Spock’s intelligence and the fact that Jim himself was a ‘genius-level repeat offender,’ that was impressive. “So can I or not?”

Jim thought a moment. “What for?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, are we talking studying for a test, or hanging out for the afternoon, or having a sleepover?” Jim asked. “Because you are not having a sleepover on a school night.” And he never thought he’d say _that_. Even after ten years—god, a fucking _decade_ of having a child and being married—on occasion Jim still had trouble believing how _domestic_ his life was at times.

“Oh. I just wanted them to come over and hang out,” Bump said. “They’re all Human, so they don’t understand the meditation stuff, so sleepovers can get kind of weird. And I think you and _Sa-mekh_ sort of scare their parents, so I’m not sure their parents would let them spend the night.”

Jim frowned. “Why would we scare their parents?”

Bump scoffed—she _scoffed_! She was only ten! Wasn’t attitude like that supposed to be reserved for teenagers?—and said, “Everyone in Starfleet knows who you and _Sa-mekh_ are. All my friends have heard about your battles and tactics and stuff. They just don’t know how _silly_ you guys are when it’s not your shift.”

Jim pinched the bridge of his nose. This child would be the death of him. Then a thought occurred to him and he snickered. This child might also reveal to the world the secret that Vulcans were actually very emotional. God, he’d love to see Sarek’s face if _that_ became public knowledge.

**_11 Years Old: It’s Tradition_ **

“And don’t call me Bump,” Astraea finished.

Spock raised an eyebrow. “Why ever not?”

“It’s _embarrassing_ ,” Astraea said.

Jim snorted. “I carried you for almost ten months. And then I underwent torture to give birth to you. I can call you whatever I want.”

“ _Sa-mekh_ ,” Astraea pleaded with Spock. “Don’t let him.”

“You are perfectly aware that I have little control over your dad’s actions,” Spock replied. “I certainly don’t control what comes out of his mouth.”

 _What goes into it on the other hand…_ The thought from Jim came so hard and so fast that Spock wasn’t able to block it. He flicked an eyebrow at Jim—he knew Jim would interpret it as the glare Spock meant—because now was not the time to become aroused.

And Spock didn’t like the idea of his daughter growing up, although he respected his daughter’s desire not to be made fun of. “I cannot control your dad, but I will endeavor not to call you Bump in front of your friends.”

Astraea glowered, clearly understanding that Spock would continue calling her Bump when they were alone. He simply raised an eyebrow and said, “Compromise is a beneficial skill in many situations, Astraea. Perhaps you can find a compromise with your dad that will prevent him from calling you Bump in front of your friends.”

Jim didn’t look up from the magazine he was reading. “Not gonna happen.”

“You’re so annoying!” Astraea accused before stomping out of the room.

“At what age did you at least begin to understand how to compromise?” Spock asked.

“Hm, never,” Jim answered. “If you don’t recall, I don’t accept anything less than everything.” Jim finally looked up, his eyes glinting. “Or do you need a refresher course on that?”

After nearly twelve years of being a couple, Spock knew Jim didn’t mean a _literal_ refresher course. He glanced at the door. “Very well,” Spock said. “Remind me of how you don’t accept less than everything.”

Spock later thought he should be ashamed of some of the things he did to Jim, but he wasn’t. Not when Jim had been encouraging him the whole time.

§§§

When Astraea’s friends arrived for the sleepover Jim insisted they had been “conned” into hosting, Spock was careful not to call her Bump. Jim opened his mouth to say it and Spock said, “Refrain from calling her that in front of her friends, and I will do anything you like in bed tonight.”

Jim blinked, his eyes dilated, and he turned to give Spock a kiss.

“Dad! _Sa-mekh_!” Astraea said. “Do you have to do that _here_?”

The three other girls giggled.

“My mom still thinks you’re scary, Mr. Astraea’s dad.” Spock was fairly certain Karla was speaking to him. “I don’t know why. You guys are really cute.”

Spock wasn’t disgruntled at being called cute; getting disgruntled was something Humans experienced, not Vulcans. “I am gratified that you don’t find me frightening,” Spock said. “It would not be conducive for sleep if you were frightened of your host.”

The girls giggled. “Sleep? We’re not gonna _sleep_.”

“Spock,” Jim said, “It’s sort of tradition at Human sleepovers for kids to try their hardest to stay up all night.”

“That is illogical,” Spock said. “Why would they not desire the requisite amount of sleep? And if the point is to stay awake, why are they termed sleepovers?”

“No idea,” Jim replied. His blue eyes looked deep into Spock’s own. “Sleepovers are more of a girl thing, and I wasn’t any more popular than you were when I was that age, so I never got invited to any anyway.” Jim looked at the girls. “Now go.”

Once they had scampered off to Astraea’s bedroom, Jim said, “We only need to worry if we’re still on Earth when she’s a teenager. That’s when it becomes tradition for them to sneak out of the house.”

“Astraea would not give into peer pressure in such a way,” Spock said.

Jim snorted. “Of course not. Sneaking out would be _her_ idea.”

**_12 Years Old: The Problem with Pets_ **

It had been a relief to return to the ship, as foreign as many parts of it seemed. Sulu was gone, having been promoted to Captain, and Chekov had gone with him. Uhura was still onboard—as Chief Communications Officer on Starfleet’s flagship, having been promoted to Commander over the last ten years, she was exactly where she aspired to be. Bones and Carol were also there; Bones because he refused to be on any ship not captained by Jim, Carol because she was happy as the Chief Security Officer on the _Enterprise_ , and she didn’t want to split up their family. And Scotty was onboard because no other Captain was willing to deal with him, regardless of the fact that he was the best engineer in the fleet.

Against Spock’s suggestion, Jim had requested the father of Astraea’s closest friend also be reassigned to the _Enterprise_. He had been approved. Bump had been thrilled.

Now, Jim wasn’t sure bringing along _more_ children had been the greatest idea, since they had just received a Code One Alert from the nearest Space Station.

Thankfully, when they arrived, it was just some official wanting them to guard some wheat. (“Quadrotriticale,” he insisted every time Jim called it wheat. It rather made Jim want to call it wheat even more than before.)

But nothing could be that simple. That was when the Klingons decided to show up, claiming shore leave rights.

“Captain Koloth, my old friend,” Jim said when he realized exactly _who_ the Klingon was.

“Captain Kirk, my old friend,” Koloth responded amiably. “Less pregnant, more married, I see.”

“Indeed,” Jim answered.

The Federation official—Jim couldn’t really remember his name, he didn’t care enough—looked apoplectic at the fact that Jim had approved shore leave with his precious _wheat_ still on the space station. Jim just rolled his eyes and limited the number of Klingons that could be on the space station at any given time and declared that there would be an _Enterprise_ crewmember on the space station for every Klingon.

Koloth wasn’t particularly pleased but wheat-man was even more upset, so Jim considered it a victory.

§§§

“And that was when you began the brawl,” Jim heard Spock say.

“No,” Scotty answered. “Not then.”

He turned the corner to find Spock interrogating his Chief Engineer. Scotty’s lip was bloody, and his uniform shirt was torn.

“So you did not punch the Klingon when they compared your Captain to a Rigellian blood worm. When _did_ you feel the need to resort to violence?” Spock demanded, eyebrow raised higher than Jim had seen it in a long time.

“He compared the _Enterprise_ to a garbage scow,” Scotty said. “And when I told him to take it back, he said he was wrong, and that the _Enterprise_ deserved to be hauled away _as_ garbage. That’s when I hit him.”

Jim began laughing. He couldn’t help it. Scotty wouldn’t defend him, but an insult to the ship was enough to make him start a bar fight with a squad of Klingons. After a minute, Spock’s irritated eyebrow prompted Jim to confine Scotty to his quarters for the remainder of shore leave. Scotty didn’t seem nearly as upset about that as a normal person should be.

That was when Astraea ran up to him, holding what sort of resembled a guinea pig, except it had no discernable face. “Daddy, look!” she exclaimed.

“What is that, Bump?” Jim asked.

“It’s a tribble!” she said, cheeks flushed green with excitement. “A nice man on the space station gave one to me and one to Karla!”

This whole situation was giving Jim a headache. He’d need to meditate when all this was done. “At what point did we say you could have a pet? And at what point did it become okay to take things from strangers?”

“He wasn’t trying to lure us into his spaceship,” Bump answered. “There were lots of people around, and he thought giving them to us would make everyone else want one, and therefore willing to _buy_ them.” She looked at Spock. “I thought it was a logical argument.”

Spock glanced at Jim before making the good decision to _not_ acknowledge that twisted logic and instead say, “That does not answer the question of when we said you could get a pet.”

“It’s really easy to take care of,” Astraea promised. “I can do it all on my own.”

Jim glanced at Spock, who said, “It would indeed be good to teach her some responsibility.”

Jim turned to Astraea. “Fine. You may keep it. However, the moment _Sa-mekh_ and I begin caring for it, it is being left at an adoption center at our next stop.”

“Okay!” And she ran off.

Jim was left with the strangest sensation that this wasn’t going to end well.

§§§

He was right. Within twenty four hours, the space station _and_ Jim’s ship were both completely overrun with tribbles, they had eaten all of the quadrotriticale, the quadrotriticale had been poisoned and killed the tribbles that consumed it, and everything was just a _disaster_.

But it still wasn’t a _Code One Alert_ disaster. And it was rather amusing, how much the tribbles hated Klingons, considering how much they loved everyone else.

Once it was all sorted out and they’d left the space station, Jim asked, “What did you do with all those tribbles, Scotty?”

“It wasn’t my idea.”

“Scotty.”

“I transported them all out, sir.”

“Into _space_?” Jim demanded, horrified. What was he supposed to tell Bump, if she asked about it?

“That’d be inhumane!” Scotty objected. “I simply transported them into the Klingons’ engine room.”

Jim stared at him for a minute and then began to laugh. He could only laugh harder when Spock came up behind him and said, “Astraea will never be permitted to have another pet.”

**_13 Years Old: Lock Her in a Tower_ **

“It occurs to me that we should talk to Astraea about the changes her body will soon be going through,” Spock said.

Jim turned to stare at him. “What?”

“The average age for a Human female to begin her menstrual cycle is twelve. The average age for a Vulcan is seventeen point six. As Astraea is more Human than Vulcan, it is reasonable to assume that she will start sooner rather than later,” Spock explained. “And she is already thirteen.”

“No,” Jim answered. “My baby girl is _not_ going to get her period. I refuse to let it happen. She’s going to stay a baby forever.”

Illogical. “Jim, there is no known technology that can keep a person from aging. And even if there were, it would not be fair to Astraea to keep her from growing up and experiencing all the universe has to offer.”

Jim glowered. “But she’s my _baby_.”

“She is no longer a baby,” Spock said. Then, in deference to Jim’s sentimentality, said, “And you can treat her as ‘your little girl’ for as long as you wish. I have observed Human women well over the age of twenty who are still spoiled by their fathers. For Humans this is not a social taboo. It is actually something expected of a good father, is it not?”

Jim shrugged. “I don’t know about _expected_ , but it certainly isn’t _surprising_ ,” he acknowledged. “Fine. What do we need to tell her?”

Spock blinked. While he knew they needed to talk to her, he didn’t actually know what a teenage girl needed to be told. “This situation is… not ideal.”

§§§

“Come,” Nyota called out.

Spock entered his friend’s cabin. “Nyota,” he greeted.

She stood and smiled. “Spock. What can I do for you?”

“It is Astraea,” Spock answered, trying to figure out which words would be best. “She is at an age at which… her body will likely begin changing very soon. Jim and I are at a loss of how to discuss these changes with her.”

Nyota smiled. “Jim’s talking to Carol about it, is he? You want the two of us to give her the birds and the bees talk?”

“I am not familiar with that phrase.”

“The Talk, Spock,” Nyota answered. “The talk where a parent—or other trusted adult—explains how sex works and how to have safe sex and all of that.” She rolled her eyes. “Of course, she probably wouldn’t take the two of you seriously were _you_ to talk to her about safe sex.”

“Why would she not?”

“Astraea is quite possibly the smartest person I’ve ever met. It’ll take her about two seconds to figure out what it means that you had her _before_ you were married,” Nyota answered. “If she hasn’t figured everything out on her own already.”

That was a logical argument. “Very well,” Spock answered. “Will you talk to her?”

Nyota answered. “And I’ll even encourage her to wait.”

Spock nodded. “Thank you.”

§§§

Spock was going to medical to ask Dr. McCoy for some samples, when he heard, “Ohmigod, Uncle Bones, I do not want a _sex talk_ from _you_!”

“It’s me or your dads, Spocklet, you choose,” Dr. McCoy said, sounding just as grumpy as usual. “At least if we do it in class, we can keep it clinical. Then you can go back to your quarters, meditate, and pretend it never happened, like every other teenager in history.”

Vulcan teenagers were not like that. They took their parents’ advice on mating seriously. Of course, _Pon Farr_ was much more drastic than simply having sex. And Spock would have to discuss it with her eventually, no matter how minimal the chance of her suffering from it. Not to mention the fact that, as limited as the Vulcan population was at the moment, she could likely find a Vulcan mate, should she so desire, in spite of her mostly-Human ancestry.

“Fine,” Astraea grumbled.

§§§

Astraea stormed into their cabin. “You set Uncle Bones on me?” she demanded loudly.

“I did not,” Spock answered. “I approached your auntie Nyota, and I requested that she talk to you. I believe the phrase would be ‘woman to woman.’”

Astraea turned the full force of her glare on Jim—and Spock would never get over how exactly her eyes matched Jim’s. Her green blood and blue eyes were all it took for people to realize who she belonged to. Not like her sisters. Chrystal wore her hair long, hiding her ears, and other than those, she was nearly identical to Jim. Lennie and Ashalynn both strongly favored Spock, at least outwardly. Astraea was the one who was most obviously a combination of them. And she was beautiful for it.

But Jim seemed unaffected by the gaze; he just continued looking through PADDs, as though nothing were amiss. “ _Dad_ ,” Astraea said. “Why would you do that? Auntie Nyota and Auntie Carol would have been _way_ better!”

“Maybe,” Jim answered, “But neither of them are medical doctors. They only really know the what, not the why.”

“The what is what’s important!”

“Bump, calm down,” Jim said.

“Oh my god, you sic Uncle Bones on me for The Talk, and then you _still_ call me Bump. Dad, you’re unbelievable,” she said.

“And I pride myself on it,” Jim answered. “We need to have a talk, though.”

Astraea’s eyes went wide. “Oh god.”

“Don’t trust boys,” Jim said, as though he hadn’t heard her. “They’re all dirtbags. Especially the teenage variety. And I would know, since I was a dirtbag once.”

 _But then I got knocked up and things changed_ , Jim related to Spock through their bond.

 _I love you too_ , Spock replied, accustomed to Jim’s unorthodox ways of relating that same sentiment.

Jim smiled and told Astraea, “I just want you to be careful. Make good choices.”

Spock intervened, before Jim could ‘put his foot in his mouth.’ “We are not saying you cannot have sex, Astraea—”

“Yes we are!”

Spock ignored Jim. “We are simply advising against it. You are smart enough to know when you are ready, and I know you are more than capable of resisting if someone tries to pressure you. We only want you to understand how important it is to respect yourself and not do anything that compromises that.”

Bump stared at him. “ _Sa-mekh_ , I’m thirteen. The only boys my age on this ship are Seb and Michael, and that would just be creepy. I think my virtue is safe for at least another couple years, until this particular assignment is complete.”

And with that, she stomped off to her room.

Jim looked pleased. “It appears that launching your daughters into space is even more effective than locking them in towers.”

Spock paused and then admitted, “I do not know what that means.”

**_14 Years Old: My First Bump_ **

Jim sighed in relief. It was finally over. Next time he’d probably need medication just to keep up with Spock.

“I apologize,” Spock said.

“Don’t,” Jim answered. “It was fun. It’s just… like you’ve said before, Human bodies aren’t made to assist a Vulcan in his Time. I’m exhausted.”

“I fail to see how the loss of inhibition is _fun_ ,” Spock answered. Jim could actually feel how insulted he was.

“Not the loss of inhibition,” Jim replied. “The sex. The sex is fantastic, and you damn well know it. And in a year or so, when my body has recovered, we can try some of those positions again.”

Spock didn’t look pleased, but didn’t argue.

§§§

Astraea was green when she came back to their quarters, and was continually avoiding them. After about twenty four hours, Jim had had enough. “Astraea, what’s wrong?” he said, using his override code to enter her room.

“I— _Sa’mekh’al_ explained it to me,” she answered. “ _Pon Farr_. He didn’t want to, but said I might go through it, so I should know about it. And—Daddy, are you pregnant again? Because the triplets are more than enough for me. I don’t _want_ any more siblings.”

Jim sat down next to her on her bed and said, “It hurt, giving birth to you.”

“Daddy,” Astraea answered. “You didn’t answer.”

Jim brushed her long, dark blond hair out of her eyes, tucking it behind a pointed ear. “Human men can’t carry children naturally. I can show you the papers on the medical study that let me do it, if you want to see them. But a C-section involves the removal of the uterus. I _can’t_ get pregnant again. And I share something special with you. You are my first, and you’re the only one I actually delivered the normal way.” Well, as normal as a man giving birth _could_ be. “You’re the only one I went through labor for. And you were worth every second of it. Even if I could have more children, nothing would change that you are my first, and you’re precious for it.”

“Parents aren’t supposed to pick favorites,” Astraea said, cuddling up to him.

“Yeah, well. Let’s just say that I always have a favorite,” Jim answers. “It just changes day to day. Sometimes you’re my favorite. Sometimes you’re my least favorite.”

“Like the day with the tribbles. I’m sure I was your least favorite for like a week,” Astraea answered.

Jim laughed. “A day. If you recall, the day after that, Chrystal tried to flush an entire roll of toilet paper down the toilet.”

Astraea laughed and leaned up against him. “Thanks, Daddy. I don’t know why I was worried.”

“It’s normal,” Jim answered, holding her close and kissing her hair. “It’s also normal to pretend your parents don’t have—”

“Stop.”

Jim laughed. “Exactly. And it’s kind of hard when you can’t come back to your own room because of it. But don’t worry. It won’t happen again for another seven years.”

“It happens every other night,” Bump muttered.

Jim rolled his eyes. “I meant your exile from our quarters, you silly Vulcan.”

“Vulcans are not silly,” Astraea said, in a brilliant imitation of Spock.

“I will give you ten credits to call _Sa-mekh_ silly in that exact voice,” Jim said. “Twenty to say it to Grandpa.”

“Thirty if I say it to both?” Bump answered.

“Yeah,” Jim answered.

Bump smiled. “Thanks. For everything.”

Jim nodded. “No matter what happens, you’ll always be my Bump,” he promised. “Don’t ever forget that.”

Astraea rolled her eyes. “I wish you’d stop calling me that.”

“Never gonna happen,” Jim promised.

**_15 Years Old: A Baseball Bat and a Civilized Conversation_ **

Spock raised an eyebrow when Sebastian ran up to him in the Rec Room Three. “Uncle Spock, save me, please!”

“Save you from what?” Spock asked.

“Uncle Jim!” Sebastian answered. “He’s—oh god!” And he took off running.

Spock turned in time to see his husband run past, a baseball bat in his hands. Spock decided to ignore the situation. Jim would never _actually_ hurt either of the Marcus-McCoy twins. So he went back to what he was doing—replicating a bowl of plomeek soup and sitting down at the table with Astraea and Lennie.

Lennie ignored him, her nose buried in a PADD on something, quite likely the paper Spock had suggested last night. For all that his daughters were all incredibly intelligent, to the point where Spock had no idea which was the smartest—and Jim had couched a logical argument on why he shouldn’t try and figure that out anyway—Lennie was the only one who liked learning for the sake of learning.

As much as his father and mate bickered about it, about how the girls would go to Starfleet Academy or the VSA, Spock could only determine one of their career paths with any kind of certainty. While the others were a mystery to him, there was a seventy two point four percent chance that Lennie would decide to go to the VSA. And she wouldn’t let taunts about her parents affect her in the way Spock had; she would take them as a challenge, should she encounter them at all.

“Do you have any idea why your dad was chasing Sebastian with a baseball bat?” he asked them.

“Again?” Lennie asked, looking up from her PADD.

“You mean to say this has happened before?” Spock asked sharply.

Astraea laughed. “A few times. Of course, this is the first time it’s been _Seb_. Usually it’s Mike.”

Spock would need to discuss this with his husband. “Do you know why Jim is chasing him about the ship?”

Astraea shrugged, causing her long hair to ripple around her shoulders. “The times Mike has been chased, it’s been for making an off-color joke about me. Seb, though, I couldn’t tell you. Unless Michael set him up.”

Spock stood. “Michael has been making inappropriate comments regarding your person?”

“ _Sa-mekh_ ,” Astraea said.

“Bump,” Spock answered. “What did he say about you?”

“Nothing,” Bump answered. “It wasn’t a big deal. And don’t call me that.”

Spock looked at Lennie. “Lennie, what has Michael said?”

“He has made sexual innuendos regarding Astraea, mostly wondering if our Vulcan heritage has had an effect on her physical characteristics, other than her ears and blood,” Lennie answered. “Uncle Bones should really check that out. From what I understand, they bathed together as children, so not knowing the answer to those questions suggests memory impairment.”

“They were _jokes_ ,” Bump insisted loudly. “They made _me_ laugh.”

“Eat your soup,” Spock said, shoving his bowl in front of his oldest daughter. “I have business to attend to.”

“Thanks a lot, Lennie,” Spock heard as he left the room. “As though Daddy chasing Seb around wasn’t bad enough. You had to set _Sa-mekh_ after Mike.”

It didn’t take long to find Michael. He was conversing with Mr. Scott, as usual—likely where he picked up the apparently inappropriate repertoire of jokes he was using in regards to Spock’s baby girl.

“Michael,” Spock said. “A word.”

Michael’s face went white. Scott clapped him on the shoulder. “Wouldn’t want to be you, mate.” Then he looked at Spock. “Don’t hurt him so bad his da can’t patch him up. I don’t think Astraea would forgive you.”

“Dismissed, Mr. Scott,” Spock said.

“Commander, I just—”

“You are to cease making inappropriate comments about my daughter,” Spock said. “You are not to touch her in anything but a brotherly manner. You are not to do anything whatsoever that may cause her pain of any sort. If I find you have, when Starfleet conducts its background check before admitting new recruits, I will recommend you _not_ be admitted.”

Michael’s face went from pale to a sickly grey. Being a member of Starfleet had been his dream for as long as he had been able to talk. Spock knew that, and while Jim wouldn’t let him ruin Michael’s life over a few comments, Jim likely wouldn’t object to the threat. He also wouldn’t object to Spock informing his father of Michael’s transgression, should the need arise. And Spock couldn’t be held responsible for his father’s actions.

“Yes, sir,” Michael said meekly.

Spock nodded and said, “If on the other hand, you treat my daughter with the respect she deserves, I will recommend you _are_ admitted. Dismissed.”

Michael ran.

§§§

“What did you do to Mike?” Bump demanded.

“I did nothing,” Spock replied. “We had a little chat is all.”

Bump made a frustrated noise and stomped into her room. Jim looked at Spock. “A little chat?” he asked. “You don’t have ‘little chats.’ What did you say?”

“Merely threatened him, should he hurt our daughter,” Spock answered.

“Oh. Carry on then, Commander.”

“It is Spock when we’re off duty, Jim,” Spock reminded his husband. Jim just laughed.

§§§

“What did you two do to my sons?” McCoy demanded.

“Nothing drastic,” Jim replied. “I chased Seb to make a point. I may or may not have had a bat at the time. Spock just had a nice, civilized discussion with Mike.”

“Civilized, my ass,” McCoy muttered. Then he stood and walked away, grumbling to himself. “No emotions, they say. True, until some little mini-hobgoblins come along, then it’s another story.”

**_16 Years Old: Lock the Doors_ **

“Oh god, _Sa’mekh’al_ , stop talking!” Bump wailed.

Jim walked into the room and raised an eyebrow. “Sarek, Bump, what seems to be the problem?”

Sarek looked at Jim. “Astraea was searching for a present she believes you may have purchased her. The phrase ‘sweet sixteen’ was mentioned several times. She was digging through your clothing drawers and discovered—”

“Oh god, don’t _say_ it,” Astraea pleaded.

“—what is apparently a rather extensive collection of what appeared to be female undergarments in your drawer, James. As she does not have a mother, she found this disturbing and came to me with it.”

“ _Sa’mekh’al_ , please, stop,” Bump begged.

“Why?” Sarek asked. “You were the one snooping, I believe the word is. And while I cannot guess your dad’s original reason for wearing such garments, I can only assume he continues to wear them because they appeal to your _sa-mekh_. While it is a bit indecent to engage in intercourse outside of the Time, I accept that my son is half-Human and therefore does have _some_ Human needs. That these include intercourse is hardly surprising. I also know that the frequency with which your parents have intercourse is much higher than average for a couple who has been married as long as they have, particularly considering their duties onboard the _Enterprise_ and the fact that they have four children sleeping only a short distance away.”

Jim had never had much shame, and what little he _had_ possessed had been lost around his fifth month of his first pregnancy—around the time Spock and Bones had uncovered this exact same thing. And watching his father-in-law flounder uncomfortably was always entertaining. And this kind of mortification would be a better punishment for Bump than anything Jim could possibly dream up. In fact, never in his life had he seen her that particular shade of green. All that in mind, he said, “They’re not always asleep, Sarek. And it isn’t always at night. Astraea, while you were digging through my personal belongings, did you happen to see a sheer, lacy, black pair? They’ve been missing for a while and they’re _Sa-mekh_ ’s favorites.”

Sarek’s cheeks took on a slightly green tint. “Ah, James, I truly believe that such a topic is indecent to discuss—”

“We’re all family,” Jim answered cheerfully. “And Spock and I have talked about it. If we act ashamed of our own sex life, how can we expect our girls not to be ashamed of their own bodies? How can we expect them not to be ashamed of sex and all it entails?” And while Jim _hated_ the idea of any of his babies growing up enough to have—or even _want_ to have—sex, even worse was the idea that they might have unhealthy sexual relationships because they were ashamed of it. For a Vulcan to be ashamed of the loss of logic during his Time was one thing; to be ashamed of sex in general was another.

“Daddy,” Astraea begged. “If I promise to never dig through your drawers again and never ever have sex will you let this go?”

Jim looked at her. “Your _sa-mekh_ talked to me and made a logical argument. It is irrational for me to expect you to never have sex. I just want you to wait and make safe, healthy choices. How can you do that if your father and I don’t have a healthy relationship as a model for you?”

Bump fled the room, leaving Jim and Sarek alone.

“I… need to meditate,” Sarek stated. “I believe I have learned more than I ever needed to know about my son’s sexual relations.”

Jim just laughed and left the room. He knew exactly where those panties were. Perhaps it was time to bring them out, as a special treat for Spock.

§§§

Spock’s eyes dilated the moment he saw Jim on their bed, nothing but the panties on. “Jim,” he said.

Jim looked up, grinning. “I have work to do,” he said, gesturing to the PADDs next to his bed, as well as the one in his hand. “But if you think you can distract me, feel free.” They weren’t anything important. Just some reports from Scotty. He never did more than skim them anyway, unless they were marked urgent. None of these were.

Spock twitched, his desire for Jim clearly warring with his desire not to interrupt Jim’s work. Jim knew the moment Spock came to the logical conclusion—Jim was off-duty and taunting him, so the PADDs must not be _that_ important.

Jim kept reading, the enthusiastic, detailed engineering reports enough of a turnoff that he was able to ignore Spock’s toned body as his husband undressed, quickly and efficiently.

It became much harder to ignore Spock when he began mouthing Jim’s cock through the thin fabric of his panties.

It was downright impossible when Spock actually pulled the panties off and took Jim’s cock into his mouth.

Jim dropped the PADD on the floor next to the bed and gave himself over to Spock’s enthusiastic ministrations. God, it had been too long since they’d had sex.

Spock pulled back. “We last had intercourse forty one point two hours ago.”

“It’s so hot that you know exactly how long it’s been,” Jim said. “And unless we’re injured or ill, or there’s some sort of emergency, there is no reason in the universe we should go more than twenty four hours without having sex. A healthy sexual relationship encourages the continuation of a healthy emotional relationship.”

Spock paused. “While not always true, it has proven true for us and is therefore a logical argument.”

“Are you going to fuck me, or do I need to roll us over and do it myself?” Jim asked.

Spock blinked at him and then said, “I find I like the idea of you doing all the work tonight.”

Jim chuckled. Of course he did, lazy bastard. So he rolled them over, positioned himself, ignored Spock’s objection of “Jim, you are not sufficiently prepared,” and sank down on Spock’s prick. Spock squeezed his eyes shut when he slid in smoothly. “You prepared yourself before I returned to our quarters,” he accused.

Jim rolled his hips. “That particular pair of underwear makes you _incredibly_ predictable, Mr. Spock.”

“I thought—I thought you were going to do the work,” Spock panted.

“So I was,” Jim agreed, rising off of his husband and then lowering himself back down, increasing his pace until it was quick and an angle that stimulated his prostate almost continually.

He could feel Spock’s muscles tightening beneath his hands as Spock began helping, bucking his hips up to meet Jim’s downward movements. Sixteen years of sex meant Spock knew exactly what Jim liked—and Jim knew exactly how to send Spock over the edge. “Meld with me,” he panted. “Now, Spock.”

Spock immediately raised a hand to Jim’s face and sank his mind into Jim’s. While they always shared a connection, melding made them one. Jim rode Spock as Spock sank deeper into his mind. And when Jim came, so did Spock.

Coming down from that high, Jim couldn’t help but miss the stretch after Spock slid out. “God, I miss the days when we’d be ready for another round,” Jim said. “We’re getting so old.”

“You are only forty, Jim,” Spock reminded him. “We still have plenty of years in which to have intercourse on a regular basis.”

“Oh god!”

Jim blinked and turned. In the doorway, Astraea was standing there with her eyes covered, the tips of her ears dark green.

Jim rolled his eyes and he and Spock climbed under the covers. “We are covered, Astraea, did you require something?” Spock asked.

Astraea uncovered her eyes—Jim was sure she wouldn’t have done it, had he been the one to give her the go-ahead—and said, “Uncle Bones is looking for you, Daddy. Something about you skipping your physical this afternoon.”

Jim ignored the glare from Spock. “Tell him I am currently indisposed but that I swear to come see him tomorrow afternoon. Today I got a bit distracted.”

Astraea stared for a moment and then asked, “After what happened this afternoon, did it not occur to you to lock your door?”

Jim shrugged. “It occurred to me. But I was here alone, so how would _Sa-mekh_ get in? Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear to have occurred to him.”

“I—you two are unbelievable!” Astraea said. “Aren’t you supposed to like… stop having sex when you reach thirty?”

“Both Humans and Vulcans are capable of sexual intercourse well past the age of thirty,” Spock said. “It would be illogical to deny the urges when an individual’s body is capable of engaging in intercourse and when in proximity with a trusted and compatible partner.”

Bump whimpered. “I’m gonna meditate now. Thanks for traumatizing me for life.”

Once she was gone, Spock asked, “What happened this afternoon?”

“Nothing of significance,” Jim answered airily. “Also, where did you put her present?”

“I gave it to my father for safekeeping,” Spock answered. “Why?”

“Just curious,” Jim answered, kissing Spock’s collarbone. “We really should remember to lock the doors.”

**_17 Years Old: Pi’Ko-Kan T’Nash-Veh_ **

“She’s beautiful,” Jim noted.

Spock couldn’t help but agree. Of course, according _Kol-Ut-Shan_ , all of the teenagers in this pageant were beautiful in their unique way. However, in his opinion, Astraea was the most beautiful. Due to _Kol-Ut-Shan_ , there was no official winner, as there had been in pageants of the past; there were too many variables and too many species competed, each with their own perception of beauty.

The pageant was primarily to lend a sense of normalcy to the lives of Starfleet children. How this was normal, Spock wasn’t sure, since this wasn’t normal behavior. “It’s a social activity that most Fleet brats don’t get chances to participate in,” Jim had explained. “Like sports teams. It’s social bonding, Spock.”

Social bonding. That, at least, explained why Astraea was the only participant with any Vulcan ancestry. Most Vulcans did not require social bonding, outside their families. Being mostly Human, however, Astraea did. And she was as tactile an individual as Jim. Spock was gratified that she hadn’t inherited the ability to pick up emotions from a simple touch—such a thing would have dramatically complicated her life.

It apparently also increased self-confidence—not that Bump needed that. For all that she had Spock’s ears and blood, she was most definitely Jim’s daughter.

Regardless of the reasons, Spock knew that he could come up with a logical explanation for why Astraea was the most beautiful of all the ‘contestants.’

§§§

Spock and Jim went to meet Astraea after the pageant, the rest of their family accompanying them. What he found made him instinctively grab Jim’s arms and hold him back.

“Ew,” Chrystal said, loudly.

Bump jumped back from the Andorian male she had been kissing rather thoroughly moments before. Her face was flushed green, as were the tips of her ears, quite visible with the way her hair was currently piled on top of her head.

The Andorian’s eyes were wide. Spock had to give him credit; in spite of the fear and trepidation Spock could feel even from this distance, the teenager stepped forward with his hand raised in a rather clumsy _ta’al_. Then he offered his hand to Jim. “Captain Kirk, Commander Spock, Ambassador Sarek, my name is—”

“Leave,” Jim growled, motionless beneath Spock’s hands.

“I—”

“ _Get gone_.”

The Andorian glanced at Astraea, who waved him away, after which he fled. Spock still didn’t release his husband; he wasn’t entirely sure Jim wouldn’t change his mind, go after the teenager, and shoot him.

“Astraea, could you please explain what is going on?” Spock asked.

“He’s my boyfriend,” she answered. “We’ve been sort of seeing each other for a few months—”

“A few _months_?” Jim demanded, loudly enough to make everyone else in the room flinch. “When were you planning to tell us?”

Astraea crossed her arms. “This is only the second time we’ve met in person. We met a few years ago and kept in contact. Then a few months ago, we started a relationship. But until today it’s all been over the comm. I didn’t even know he was coming. He surprised me. If I had known, I would have warned you.”

Something in her voice said she would have told _Spock_ and left Spock to deal with Jim. “ _Sa-mekh_ , could you please escort Chrystal, Lennie, and Ashalynn back home?” Spock requested. “We need to have a brief discussion with Astraea.”

“No you don’t!” Astraea burst out.

Sarek didn’t argue with Spock’s request, just herded the three ten year olds away and towards the hovercar they had arrived in.

Spock carefully released Jim. “Now, we are going to have a nice, civilized, _quiet_ discussion, do the two of you understand?”

“There’s nothing to discuss,” Astraea muttered.

“Like hell there isn’t,” Jim retorted. “You’ve been hiding a boy from us.”

“I haven’t been _hiding_ him,” Astraea answered. “Until today, since it was all online, it hasn’t been a real relationship. We just _connected_ , okay?”

“Connected over what?”

“His dad is the first Andorian Captain in Starfleet, Captain of the _U.S.S. Reliant_. His mom is Human, their Chief Medical Officer. He understands what it’s like to be the child of a Captain and a Senior Officer, as well as what it’s like to be… you know.”

“Explain.”

She looked pleadingly at Spock. “You understand, _Sa-mekh_ , what it’s like to be different? Because your parents aren’t the same species? Even though there’s a lot of intermingling, there aren’t a whole lot of people who end up mating with someone outside their own species. Tessith understands.”

Spock looked at his daughter. Vulcan-Human hybrids were a rarity. And while hybrid children were not as rare as Astraea was making them out to be, this Andorian might well be the only other teenager who could understand both Astraea’s living situation as well as what she was experiencing due to her genetic makeup. “Jim,” he said, “Please leave.”

“I—”

“Jim,” Spock said. “I know you love both myself and Astraea, but this truly is about something you cannot understand. Please desist arguing and let me speak with her alone.”

Jim left, grumbling in a way Spock suspected he had learned from Dr. McCoy over the two decades they had known each other.

Spock looked at his oldest daughter and suggested, “Perhaps this would be easier if we were to sit for this conversation.”

Astraea shrugged, but walked over to a nearby bench. Before Spock could say anything, she shivered. Spock took off the jacket of his dress uniform and wrapped it around her shoulders. “Does he respect you?” Spock asked.

“Yes,” Bump said. “ _I_ kissed _him_. I know I don’t have Vulcan strength like you and _Sa’mekh’al_ and Lennie, but I’ve grown up with combat lessons from you, and Daddy, and Auntie Carol. Auntie Nyota has always made sure I know how to communicate what I need clearly, so guys will never be able to claim they were confused about what I wanted. Uncle Scotty showed me how to look like I’m drinking without _actually_ taking a drink, not to mention my high tolerance for alcohol, meaning I can drink literally any guy I want under the table. And if all that fails, Uncle Bones gives me new sedative hyposprays every couple months in case of emergencies and I don’t go anywhere without at least one of them. I can take care of myself.”

“I never said you couldn’t,” Spock answered. “I asked if he respected you. I need to know that he is someone I can trust.”

“He is, _Sa-mekh_.”

Spock put his arm around her and kissed her head. “Good. Because you’ll always be my little girl.”

“You’re okay with me dating him?”

“I am not sure those are the words I would use,” Spock said. “I do not like it. However, the logical progression of time means that I have had seventeen years to prepare myself for this day. I am able to accept it, even if I would have preferred this day never came.”

“And Daddy?”

“Your dad is entirely Human,” Spock answered. “While you are mostly Human, you still have a predisposition towards logic which your dad lacks. I will deal with him. So long as you promise me something.”

“What?”

“Never do anything that goes against your beliefs,” Spock answered. “Do nothing that could result in losing your respect in yourself.”

“I promise, _Sa-mekh_ ,” Astraea answered.

“One last thing,” Spock said, “Be extremely cautious, should you decide to meld with him. Your telepathic abilities are weak, and bonds—no matter how unintentional or how tenuous—are painful to break. And in my experience, Andorian minds are quite complex.”

“I promise,” she repeated. “Thank you, _Sa-mekh_.”

“I believe this is when your dad would say ‘it’s my job,’” Spock replied, glad Astraea laughed. “Just know that whatever you do, your dad and I will always love you, as will your _sa’mekh’al_.”

“And I’ll always love you guys.”

Spock just pulled her closer to his side and looked up at the stars, his eyes automatically drawn to the constellation Virgo.

**_18 Years Old: Cadet Kirk, Daughter of Spock_ **

“Are you positive this is what you want, Astraea?” Sarek asked. “I sent the paper you wrote on transwarp beaming to the Vulcan Science Academy. They were very impressed. You can still—”

Bump cut him off with a kiss on his cheek. “ _Sa’mekh’al_ , you don’t call me Bump like everyone else does. You call me _Pukeshta svi’khio’rilar_. Born among the stars. The stars are where I belong, where I’ll always belong. The VSA doesn’t offer exploration opportunities the way Starfleet does. This is what’s right for me.” She grinned. “Work on Chrystal. She’s on the fence about what she wants to do with her life.”

And with that, Jim’s baby ran off into the seminar for new Starfleet Cadets. Jim wanted to cry. “I told you she’d be Starfleet,” Jim told Sarek. If he gloated, maybe he could hold the tears at bay until he was alone. Admirals weren’t supposed to cry, right? Right. Admirals were supposed to be as stoic as Vulcans. Except when little Spocklets were involved, Vulcans—in Jim’s experience—weren’t all that stoic. Whatever. Gloating meant no tears. “I knew from her first cry she’d be Starfleet Command. Her lungs are too good to be wasted on the VSA.”

“Illogical,” Sarek muttered, but there was a twitch to his lip that told Jim he was smiling inside—since that’s the only place Vulcans ever smiled. Except when you gave them chocolate. Jim would never forget _that_ particular New Year’s Eve party.

“Maybe,” Jim answered. “The fact remains, I was right, and you were wrong. Astraea picked Starfleet.”

§§§

“These rooms are a lot smaller than I remember them being,” Jim noted, glancing around the room his daughter would be sharing with another Cadet. “Spock, what about you?”

“They do appear smaller, although that is an illusion created by the presence of additional furniture, and the resulting reduction in available floor space,” Spock replied. “As a Vulcan, I requested not to have a roommate and that particular need was met. I cannot imagine why you would believe them smaller. There have been no dramatic renovations on the dormitories since you were a Cadet, and this is the same building in which you resided at that time.”

Jim decided to ignore all that in favor of glancing around the room. So many memories. He laughed to himself. “I remember the time Bones caught me tutoring this guy. I was legitimately just helping him with homework, but Bones saw us sitting on my bed and threw a tantrum and left. He stuck me in the neck with an anti-STD hypo the next time he saw me.”

“I do not have any such anecdotes about my time in the Academy,” Spock replied.

“Don’t you?” Jim asked.

Spock shook his head. “Anecdotes are short accounts of events, particularly told to amuse the audience. My life was rather monotonous before I met you, Admiral.”

Jim smiled. “I’d really like for you to call me Jim, Mr. Spock,” he said, stepping into his husband’s arms.

“No,” Bump interrupted, coming through the dormitory door with a box of clothes. “Don’t even think about it. I know that look too well. And you are _not_ having sex in my dorm room.”

“It wouldn’t have to be your bed,” Jim answered. “We could use the other one.”

“ _Dad_! _No_!”

Jim laughed as Scotty pushed past him, a box labeled _Dunap_ in his arms. “What the hell is in this, bricks?”

“Books,” Astraea answered, grinning widely. “Like the label says, Uncle Scotty.”

“I don’t speak or read bloody Vulcan, you mini-hobgoblin!” Scotty said, before storming out of the room. A moment later he was back, saying, “And I have a Master’s Degree in Engineering! I’m not a moving man, damn it!”

Jim and Astraea laughed, Spock and Sarek simply raised their eyebrows.

Then Astraea said, “Well, that was the last of it anyway.”

Jim felt himself tearing up again. If he didn’t know better, he’d swear he was pregnant. Hell, he wished he were pregnant; then he could blame all the tears on the hormones.

“Daddy, stop,” Astraea said. “If you cry, I’ll cry. And that’s pointless, since you and _Sa-mekh_ and _Sa’mekh’al_ all live on campus. You are literally in the building next door. And I’ll see you every Monday and Wednesday, and I’ll see _Sa-mekh_ every Tuesday and Thursday, and—and—”

Jim just held Astraea as they both cried. Close by or not, Astraea was starting life at the Academy. If things went the way she planned, she’d be graduating in three years. And then it would be a hell of a lot more than a few walls and a sidewalk separating them. It would be lightyears and star systems. And Jim knew how fast she had grown up; the next three years would be gone in a flash, and he wasn’t sure he was ready for his baby to go into space without him.

After a while he stepped back and wiped away first his tears then Bump’s. “My Bump. I am so proud of you. I always have been and I always will be.”

Astraea hugged him again. “Likewise, Daddy. I’ve always been proud of you guys. Always.”

Jim kissed her hair and forced himself to step back. “Shall we take you to dinner before your first night in the dorms?”

“I could get on board with that,” Astraea replied.

“I expect you to continue eating well,” Spock put in. “Just because Uncle Bones and myself aren’t around to—”

“Yes, yes, eat well, even though you’re not around to hassle me, got it.”

Jim laughed. Astraea was just like him. She would be just fine.

**_19 Years Old: Regulations 32555-C2 and 66172-K_ **

Spock wasn’t entirely sure how to respond to the message he had just received from Admiral Castell. It was a message to Astraea, with blind copies sent to his father, his husband, and himself.

 

> _Cadet Astraea Kirk you are hereby summoned to a disciplinary hearing regarding your academic dishonesty in your TSK 999 course. Your actions were in violation of Regulation 32555-C2 and Regulation 66172-K_
> 
> _Your hearing is scheduled for 0900 on 23 April. Failure to appear before the disciplinary committee will result in immediate expulsion from Starfleet Academy._
> 
> _Admiral Rebecca Castell_

Spock took a deep breath to center himself. Regulation 32555-C2 was Starfleet’s last-ditch, catchall rule against cheating. Regulation 66172-K was one of the rules against hacking, in particular the one against hacking into Academy-regulated simulations. TSK 999 was the Kobayashi Maru.

Somehow, his daughter had figured out how his husband had ‘beaten’ his test and pulled the same stunt.

§§§

Spock knew the moment Jim opened the message; he received a sharp flash of pride deeply intermixed with amusement. He promptly commed Jim. His husband answered, “Hey, Mr. Spock.”

“You are not to praise her for breaking the rules,” Spock instructed. “That you were never punished for the infraction is bad enough. As her fathers are both highly decorated Starfleet officers, it will look like favoritism if she is not held accountable for her actions.”

“What if I just praise her for original thinking?” Jim asked him. “And don’t mention the rule-breaking.”

“Absolutely not,” Spock replied.

“Hm,” Jim replied. “If you come to my office, I’ll see if I can change your mind.”

“Doubtful,” Spock answered, even as he turned his steps toward his husband’s office. “But you are welcome to try.”

§§§

After Jim made a valiant—if futile—attempt to change Spock’s mind, Spock messaged their daughter, instructing her to come to their quarters at precisely 0500 that evening. Once the message was sent, Jim said, “You know that she’s going to know I approve, whether I say anything or not.”

“Perhaps,” Spock replied. “But it would still be best if you refrain from expressing the sentiment verbally. No one else needs to know you approve of such infractions.”

“Everyone knows I approve of rule-breaking, should the situation demand it,” Jim argued.

Spock pressed his lips to Jim’s greying hair. “Situations in deep space differ greatly from an Academy simulation.”

“Tell that to the simulated crew of the Kobayashi Maru,” Jim retorted, pressing himself closer to Spock’s body, their sweaty skin sticking together.

“At what point in our lives did your tendency to be illogical become endearing rather than irritating?” Spock asked.

“Hm,” Jim replied. “I expect it was always endearing. It just irritated you that you couldn’t figure out why it was endearing when it should be irritating.”

Spock didn’t respond.

§§§

Spock could sense Astraea’s hesitance to enter their domicile. Sarek had taken the triplets out for dinner, leaving them to deal with Astraea. After close to a minute of standing outside the door, she finally knocked and let herself in.

“ _Sa-mekh_ , Daddy,” she said, “You wanted to talk to me?”

“You are an extremely intelligent individual,” Spock replied. “I am sure you are aware of why we asked you to visit this evening. Jim, you are aware my peripheral vision exceeds that of Humans. Please cease giving our daughter a ‘thumbs up.’”

“You said no verbal approval,” Jim retorted. “You said nothing about sign language.”

Astraea laughed, seeming far more relaxed than she had been only a few seconds ago. This was not the attitude on should have when facing a disciplinary hearing for academic dishonesty. This cavalier reaction to cheating could be genetic; Spock would have to look into it.

“Astraea,” Spock said. “Your actions regarding the Kobayashi Maru are unacceptable. Cheating is unbefitting a member of Starfleet, particularly a Cadet on the command track, who aims to Captain a starship in the future.”

“ _Sa-mekh_ ,” Astraea said, “I took your stupid Kobayashi Maru _three_ times. Three. The first I went into the neutral zone and got attacked, the second I didn’t and lost the crew of the Kobayashi Maru. The last time, I tried to draw the Klingons away from the Kobayashi Maru without entering the neutral zone myself. I grew up on a ship Captained by James Tiberius Kirk, the only man to ever beat it. You don’t think I looked at his tactics and figured out _how_ it was done?

“And I looked it up. He was brought up on academic dishonesty charges too, although all the details are sealed. I can put two and two together and come up with _Daddy cheated and wasn’t penalized at all_.”

It irked Spock to no end that she was right. Jim’s amusement at the whole situation hovered at the back of his mind and wasn’t helping at all. “Astraea, there were extenuating circumstances when your father cheated, or he _would_ have been disciplined, likely by expulsion from Starfleet Academy.”

Spock could only be thankful the hearing had happened when it did. Had it happened sooner, Jim would have been expelled from the Academy, the result of which would have been the loss of one of the best Captains Starfleet had ever seen, not to mention the probable loss of Earth as a whole, due to Nero’s madness.

“Due to the lack of extenuating circumstances, you will suffer the consequences of your actions,” Spock said. “Simply because your dad is an Admiral and I am technically a Captain does not mean you will escape punishment. Using our places to help you—”

“Could be viewed as favoritism, _I know_ ,” Astraea interrupted, crossing her arms and glaring. “I wasn’t even planning on telling you guys, unless I actually got kicked out. But I figured I could use the fact that Daddy was never disciplined as a precedent, to make it so they won’t actually kick me out. I fully expect to be suspended. I was only going to use Dad’s incident in the same way any other Cadet in Starfleet could, if anyone else had the guts to do what we did.”

Spock was uncertain in what way _cheating_ and _hacking_ equated to _bravery_.

§§§

“Cadet Astraea Kirk,” Admiral Jenkins said, “Please step forward.”

Spock’s oldest daughter stepped forward, chin raised proudly, showing no regret for her actions. If she weren’t so obviously _proud_ of what she had done she could have argued her Vulcan side made regret illogical.

“Please explain your actions,” Jenkins ordered.

“I do not believe in no-win scenarios, Admiral,” she answered simply. “If playing unfair is what it takes to win, then I will do it. Captain George Kirk faced what many consider a no-win scenario and lost his life; I believe he won. He sacrificed his own life to save the lives of everyone onboard his ship. Admiral James Kirk has a long history of playing dishonestly and skirting, bending, or breaking regulations in order to preserve life, no matter whose life was at stake, his own or an enemy’s.

“The point of the Kobayashi Maru is not for the Cadet to win or lose. The point is to see how the Cadet—and potential future Starfleet officer—will behave and react under pressure in a seemingly-unwinnable scenario. This is how I would respond. If cheating would save lives, I would do it. That is all I have to say,” she finished.

Jenkins considered her for a moment. Then he turned to Jim and Spock himself. “Admiral Kirk, Captain Spock, please stand. Admiral, you did indeed circumvent the Kobayashi Maru simulation in the same way as your daughter. Did you tell her how it was done or in any other way encourage her to take these… unorthodox steps?”

Of course Jenkins would turn this on Jim. Admiral Jenkins had been the only member of the Admiralty to oppose Jim’s promotion to the rank of Admiral.

“I did not, Theodore,” Jim answered. Spock nearly sighed; his husband was going to make this situation worse than it already was. “My daughter is far more intelligent than I am. I am certain she would have determined this was the most logical solution all on her own.”

Spock desperately needed to meditate. Jim was taunting another Admiral, overlooking their daughter’s rule breaking, and pulling what Jim himself called the ‘Vulcan logic card,’ all in the space of three sentences.

“How do I know you aren’t lying to protect yourself?”

“Admiral, if I may,” he intervened. “As you are aware, Vulcans are incapable of lying.”

“Your daughter has lied,” Jenkins replied coldly.

“My daughter is mostly Human, and she was raised in a more Human fashion,” Spock replied. “I am only half-Human, and I was raised as though I was a full Vulcan. I acknowledge that I am capable of telling a lie, but it is extremely uncomfortable for me, and I am unable to lie convincingly.”

“I will vouch for Captain Spock,” Admiral Castell put in. “I have seen him attempt to lie. It was actually rather comical. Carry on, Captain.”

Spock had spent enough time married to Jim to acknowledge to himself that he was grateful for her support. “Indeed. And while my husband is capable of lying, the bond we share makes it impossible for him to lie to me. I can verify that he did not tell Cadet Kirk how he beat the Kobayashi Maru. Nor did I tell her how it was done. In addition, Admiral Kirk would never lie to protect himself if it meant hurting our daughter.”

Jenkins looked ready to ‘tear his hair out,’ Spock believed Jim would say.

“Well,” Admiral Castell said. “Now that we have resolved this tangent, perhaps we can get back to the matter at hand? Admiral, if you’ll recall, this is an academic hearing about _Cadet_ Kirk, not _Admiral_ Kirk. The only reason we are presiding is her fathers’ high ranks might result in favoritism were anyone else to be here. So we need to remain _impartial_ —neither indicting her due to her fathers’ identities or releasing her for them.”

She turned back to Astraea. “Now, Cadet Kirk. You violated two Starfleet regulations.”

“Admiral, technically, I only violated one. The instructions given for Kobayashi Maru simulation are to save the Kobayashi Maru and its crew while keeping your own crew safe, using any means necessary. Reprogramming the simulation was the solution I chose. Therefore, I only rule I broke was regulation 66172-K, the standard penalty for which is a period of suspension. I determined this to be an acceptable sacrifice to make in order to safely rescue the crew of the Kobayashi Maru,” Astraea answered.

Jim’s pride and amusement were nearly overwhelming by this point. Never in his life had Spock wanted to slap the smirk off Jim’s face as much as he did at this moment— _Pon Farr_ sexual games notwithstanding.

Of course, Spock couldn’t say he was surprised. Astraea and Jim both took that test _too_ seriously, treating the simulation as though it were an actual rescue mission. Every command track Cadet knew that no one passed the simulation—but there were plenty of people who didn’t pass the simulation who _did_ pass Tactical Skills 999. Taking it as seriously as Jim and Astraea did—

“If I may, Admirals,” Spock interrupted, “Cadet Kirk’s determination to save the crew of the Kobayashi Maru while keeping her own crew safe is an admirable trait in a Captain. At this point in time, many command track Cadets do not take the simulation seriously, as they know it is possible to pass the course without passing the simulation. She took the simulation seriously, treated it as though it were an actual assignment.”

“Indeed,” Castell said. “For that reason, I believe the charges for breaking Regulation 32555-C2 should be dropped. All in favor?” Every admiral except Jenkins approved it, so the motion was passed. Castell turned to Astraea. “You _did_ hack into Starfleet’s simulation. Do you deny it?”

“No, ma’am.” Of course, Astraea couldn’t leave it there, and give herself the benefit of the doubt. She was so much like Jim it was painful at times. “I don’t feel guilty about it either.”

Admiral Castell rolled her eyes—in this particular setting, Spock could only guess such an informal response was positive, Castell’s affection for Astraea leaking through her ‘impartial’ façade.

“Very well. I propose that Cadet Astraea Kirk be found guilty of breaking Starfleet Regulation 32555-C2 and suspended for two weeks. All in favor?”

It passed, once again with Jenkins being the notable outlier—likely holding out for a harsher punishment.

Once it was all finished, Jim bounded up to their daughter. “Celebratory dinner, you and me?” he asked. “You can tell me what subroutine you used to beat your _sa-mekh_ ’s fancy Vulcan code.”

Watching Astraea laugh and walk away with Jim, he could admit to himself that he was just a little bit proud of his daughter’s actions and her refusal to apologize for doing what she felt was right.

Jim was right. She would be a great Captain one day.

**_20 Years Old: Men Are Dirtbags_ **

“Daddy?” Astraea asked. “Can I ask you something?”

Jim nodded. “Always. Of course, I—”

“Reserve the right not to answer, yeah, I know,” Bump interrupted him.

She looked around the café for a few minutes. Jim sat in silence, waiting, knowing she’d eventually ask. Finally, “You always lecture me about safe sex and—”

“Oh god, you’re pregnant,” Jim interrupted. “I’m not even fifty, I can’t be a grandparent yet. I can’t turn into _Sarek_.”

“Daddy, calm down, I’m not pregnant!” Astraea interrupted. After a pause, she added, “And I know _Sa’mekh’al_ has a lot more emotions than he admits, but he’s still more or less logical all the time. You’re… not. You don’t have to worry about turning into him.”

Jim was left with the strangest feeling that he’d just been insulted. “Whatever. You’re not pregnant. Sorry. Continue your question.”

“You lecture us about safe sex _all the freaking time_. But I was born before you and _Sa-mekh_ got married.” After a pause, she added, “I was _born_ before then, not just conceived before then. And you and _Sa-mekh_ hadn’t bonded, meaning it wasn’t during _Sa-mekh’s_ Time.”

Jim sighed. “When I was younger, I was… well, I slept around. A lot. But I didn’t sleep with any of my subordinates, so I had to do it all on shore leave. Well, I was totally plastered when I had sex with your _sa-mekh_. I didn’t even remember it. Because it was a new thing, the birth control I was on wasn’t one hundred percent effective. Your father wasn’t on any, since he had no way of knowing I could get pregnant at all.”

“So I was an accident.”

“Hm, yes,” Jim answered. “To be fair, the triplets weren’t planned beyond ‘we’ll have more kids when _Sa-mekh_ goes through his Time.’ But you were a complete accident. _Sa-mekh_ and I weren’t even a couple. He was just my first officer and best friend. He helped me during the pregnancy and I fell in love with him.”

“Oh,” Astraea said. “So… you didn’t want me?”

Jim frowned. What in hell could make her think that? “Astraea, your _sa-mekh_ and I have always done our best to be honest with you, so I’ll be honest now. I did think about terminating. Having a kid at that point endangered my career. But Uncle Bones said I couldn’t, that it was too dangerous. And I’m glad. Because I couldn’t make up my mind whether to keep you or not. I have _never_ regretted having you. There is a ninety nine point nine repeating percent chance I would have regretted getting rid of you. Accident, yes. Unwanted, _never_.”

Astraea stared at him. Spock always insisted she looked just like him. Jim could only see Spock when he looked at her. Her complexion, her ears, her height, her eyebrows. She was Spock all over, with little flecks of Jim mixed in. And she was perfect because of it. “Promise?”

“I promise. And whatever guy is causing this, he isn’t worth it,” Jim told her. “If he doesn’t legitimately believe you are the center of the universe and everything revolves around you, he’s wrong for you anyway.”

Astraea laughed. “Thanks, Daddy.”

“Men are dirtbags anyway. You should just be a lesbian and call it good.”

“Tried it, didn’t like it,” Astraea answered. “I’ll stick with men. Especially since I can kick all their asses anyway.”

Jim laughed. He was so glad he hadn’t had the chance to get rid of this; he _would_ have regretted it every day for the rest of his life.

**_21 Years Old: Ensign Kirk_ **

Spock watched with Jim as their daughter crossed the stage, graciously accepting her diploma and assignment.

“Astraea Eirene Kirk, daughter of Spock,” Castell read. “Graduating with honors in the command track and the communications track.” She shook Astraea’s hand and then said, “Ensign Kirk, stationed aboard the _U.S.S. Enterprise_.”

Spock clapped politely, trying not to reveal just how _happy_ he was. His daughter had gotten the assignment she wanted. She deserved it. If not for her stunt with the Kobayashi Maru, he suspected she would have been made a Lieutenant rather than an Ensign. Regardless, he was proud of her.

Once the ceremony was over—“If this isn’t pomp and circumstance, I don’t know what the hell is,” Jim said, although he was smiling the whole time—Spock and Jim met their daughter outside.

“The _Enterprise_!” Astraea said excitedly. “Can you believe it? I’ll probably know the ship better than the Chief Engineer!”

“She has been refurbished in the years since we have been onboard,” Spock reminded her.

“Psh,” Astraea answered. “She may have a new face, but she’s still the same _ship_. I may not know all her new parts or all her new decks, but I know _her_.”

Spock was still slightly uncomfortable with the Human practice of acting as though ships were sentient beings with their own personalities, but Jim was looking at Astraea fondly. “You will,” he confirmed.

That was when Castell showed up. “I’ll have you know, Ensign Kirk, that you were assigned to the _Reliant_. However, Captain Sulu requested you. He told me it wouldn’t feel right to be onboard the _Enterprise_ without a Kirk and a Spock onboard. He seemed to think you fixed both those problems. Do not disappoint us.”

Astraea was more or less vibrating with joy. “Uncle Hiko! And that means Uncle Pasha!” She looked at Castell. “Chekov is still Sulu’s first, right?”

Jim snorted. “Those two would retire before they would let Starfleet separate them.”

“Like you can talk,” Castell told Jim. “And yes, Ensign, Commander Chekov is still Captain Sulu’s first officer. And I would suggest you remember to call them Commander and Captain.”

“So long as they remember not to call me Bump,” Astraea muttered.

Castell laughed. “Sorry, honey. I think in the eyes of the _Enterprise_ ’s bridge crew, the ones who were there when you were born, you’ll always be Captain Kirk’s Baby Bump. Lord knows you’re still Bump in my mind.”

Astraea huffed. “Thanks a lot, Admiral.”

“Of course. Dismissed, Ensign,” Castell said before walking away.

Just as she left, Chrystal, Ashalynn, and Lennie found them, trailed by Sarek.

Pride shown in Sarek’s eyes, a pride Spock had never seen there for him. It almost hurt, except he knew his father couldn’t help it. Even in the face of a successful son, Sarek had retained his logic. But from that first moment he performed a fetal meld with Bump, Sarek’s logic had been lost.

“Let’s go out to eat,” Jim suggested. “ _Sa’mekh’al_ is buying!”

It was a mark of how much these four girls had changed their lives that his father’s disapproval actually showed on his face.

It was all perfect in a way Spock would never have predicted, and every day he was grateful for it.

**Author's Note:**

> To start, as some/many/all of you may have realized, the section titled '12 Years Old: The Problem with Pets' is basically just the TOS episode 'The Trouble with Tribbles' tweaked to fit the AOS universe and the universe in which Astraea exists. So... the plot for that section is totally not mine. I don't remember who wrote it though. If you want to know that badly, I'm sure it's on the internet. It's also on Netflix.
> 
> For the Vulcan, I used these sites:  
> http://vulcanlanguage.tumblr.com/  
> http://www.starbase-10.de/vld/  
> http://home.comcast.net/~markg61/vlif.htm
> 
> For the Klingon, I used these sites:  
> http://www.languagesandnumbers.com/how-to-count-in-klingon/en/tlh/  
> http://www.movies-dictionary.org/English-to-Klingon-Dictionary/i  
> https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Klingon
> 
> And for the baby-raising stuff, I used personal experience as a preschool teacher and this site:  
> http://www.babycenter.com/
> 
> I tried to make everything that is said in Vulcan or Klingon make sense in context, even when it wasn't directly translated. If you're curious about any of them, feel free to ask.
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> KiyoshiTanaka


End file.
